March 13, 1913 Tornado Outbreak

Damage:

GRAZULIS: Moved NE from 5 miles SW of Iron City, Tennessee, passing just west of that town, east of Loretto, to east of Lawrenceburg. Homes and a sawmill were destroyed east of Loretto. Homes, barns and a school were destroyed SW of Lawrenceburg. A student was killed at the "Mars Hill" School. Debris was carried for three miles.

FROM THE LAWRENCEBURG DEMOCRAT NEWSPAPER ON MARCH 18, 1913: The Cyclone which passed through this county about one and a half miles east of this place Thursday between four and five oclock was the most severe ever experienced in this county. Many persons had narrow escapes but none were killed or injured. Mike Neidergesess was caught in the storm his buggy overturned and he was blown into the woods where he held to a bush while trees fell all around him but he received no injury. It entered the county west of Iron City, passed through east of Loretta, doing considerable damage to fences and property in general, it stuck Springer Station and several houses were destroyed. A great deal of damage was done around Leoma. It is estimated that the damage done in the county will reach up into the thousands. The home and barn of Eugene Deladtz, just east of town was completely destroyed. A saw mill belonging to Rippy Chambers and a barn to A. Zozle were destroyed from here it passed through the woods on the farm of M.J. Sims destroying, it is estimated, about $200. worth of timber and blowing all the fences away, barns of John Barline and Neidregesess were partly destroyed. The home of J W Napier was blown from its foundation and caught fire and was destroyed it was partially insured. The storm was followed by one of the heaviest rains that ever fell in this county. The residence of Rev Elliot, in North Lawrenceburg was struck by lightning knocking a hole in the roof.

SHAMBURGER (2017): Plotting the damage locations reported in the newspaper articles indicates this tornado moved into Lawrence County from Lauderdale County, Alabama around 5 miles east of Iron City, not west as Grazulis indicates. The tornado the moved north-northeast, passing just east of Loretto, through Springer Station, just west of Leoma, then around 1.5 miles east of Lawrenceburg before lifting northeast of town. Grazulis indicates there were 6 injuries from this tornado, but newspaper articles report several times that no injuries occurred, so it's unclear where the number of injuries that Grazulis' used is from and zero is used here. In addition, Grazulis wrongly reported a student was killed by this tornado at the Mars Hill School, when this school is actually located in southwestern Marshall County west of Cornersville, and the death was removed from this entry.

Damage:

GRAZULIS: Moved NNE from Bodenham to Culleoka. Three people died as ab out 10 homes were destroyed at Culleoka. This track was parallel to, and 10 miles west of the next tornado (or family of tornadoes) in Giles, Marshall, and Rutherford counties. Thousands of trees were reportedly downed for many miles north of Culleoka.

FROM THE PULASKI CITIZEN ON MARCH 20, 1913: Two distinct windstorms, accompanied by vivid lightning and downpour of rain, swept over the western and northeastern portion of Giles County in the early evening of March 13, 1913. Damage to houses, barns, out-houses, plowed land and fencing was estimated at several thousand dollars. The first cyclone swept across western Tennessee about 2:30 P.M. Then about an hour and a half later at 4:00 another storm struck Giles and Maury Counties going northward. This was a wide spread system as it traveled over several states and most of Tennessee. This storm reminded Giles Countians of the devastating storm and flood of 1902, which struck Giles County. This 1902 storm resulted in the loss of several lives and causing thousands and thousands of dollars damage to buildings, bridges, and land, however there was no known loss of life in Giles County, but the property damage to Giles was very heavy.

FROM THE CHARLESTON NEWS & COURIER ON MARCH 15, 1913: In middle Tennessee the most disastrous work of the storm was in Maury County so far as reports have been received. The dead there are Mrs. Alice Peebles, widow of a widely known Methodist preacher, and Charles S. Williamson, both of Culleoka, and J.O. Lanier, of Rally Hill. Mrs. Heinina Orr, of Bryant Station, is reported killed. Mrs. Williamson, who had a broken hip, is dead. She was buried so deep in the timbers of her home that two hours were required to dig her out. Three people are reported to have been killed in South Berlin.

FROM THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE ON MARCH 14, 1913: A cyclone struck Pleasant Grove, Maurey [sic] County, about one o'clock this afternoon, demolishing practically every house in the place, and, according to meager telephone reports, killing three or four men. Along those killed was George Williamson, a prominent farmer. Smith Brothers' general store was completely destroyed. The Louisville & Nashville depot was blown into shreds, but a number of passengers at the depot at the time, waiting for a train, were uninjured. A train was lost on the Duck River branch of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad, and so far efforts to located it have been unsuccessful, as all wires are down. All creeks are out of banks, telegraph and telephone wires are down, and much damage to property done. The chimneys of the residence of Newton White, speaker of the state senate, at Wales, were blown down.

SHAMBURGER (2017): Plotting the damaged residences and farms on historical maps of Giles and Maury Counties show this tornado began just east of Vale Mills (northwest of the present day Highway 64 and Highway 166 intersection), not near Bodenham as Grazulis stated. The tornado then moved north-northeast through Waco (also called Old Lynnville), crossed into Maury County and destroyed the home of Charles Williamson around 1 mile southwest of Culleoka where 2 people were killed. Continuing north-northeast, the tornado passed just one half mile west of Culleoka, then through Pleasant Grove (around 3/4 mile north of Culleoka) and across the Duck River before lifting near present-day River Bend Road. This path is roughly 25 miles long, around 5 miles longer than Grazulis stated in his book Significant Tornadoes. Newspaper reports indicate there was 1 injury in Giles County in Waco, and 19 injuries in Maury County, so the numbers from Grazulis were adjusted upward. The third death reported by this tornado, Mr. J.O. Lanier who died in a collapsed barn at Lumsden's Store, was actually part of the next tornado in far northeast Maury County and erroneously included with this tornado by Grazulis.

Damage:

GRAZULIS: Moved NNE from 10 miles east of Bodenham, passing near Brick Church. At least 10 homes were destroyed and 100 head of cattle were killed in the track across Marshall County. One death occurred near "Wilson Hill", and another 3 miles west of Lewisburg. In Rutherford County, five people died at a reunion in a home 3 miles southeast of Eagleville. The damage ended, possibly as a downburst, between Murfreesboro and Smyrna.

FROM THE PULASKI CITIZEN ON MARCH 20, 1913: Two distinct windstorms, accompanied by vivid lightning and downpour of rain, swept over the western and northeastern portion of Giles County in the early evening of March 13, 1913. Damage to houses, barns, out-houses, plowed land and fencing was estimated at several thousand dollars. The first cyclone swept across western Tennessee about 2:30 P.M. Then about an hour and a half later at 4:00 another storm struck Giles and Maury Counties going northward. This was a wide spread system as it traveled over several states and most of Tennessee. This storm reminded Giles Countians of the devastating storm and flood of 1902, which struck Giles County. This 1902 storm resulted in the loss of several lives and causing thousands and thousands of dollars damage to buildings, bridges, and land, however there was no known loss of life in Giles County, but the property damage to Giles was very heavy.

FROM THE FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER ON MARCH 20, 1913: A cyclone passed over the southern portion of Maury county and the northern part of Marshall county. A school teacher, Miss Mary Wilson, was killed at Wilson's Hill, in Marshall county. The greatest wreck of property and loss of life in Tennessee occurred at the village of Culleoka. The path of the cyclone was only about 100 feet wide. The most severe wind in this county was west of Howell.

SHAMBURGER (2017): Plotting the damaged homes, schools, and other buildings on historic maps of Giles and Marshall Counties indicate this tornado was clearly separate from the next tornado that caused damage and several fatalities in northeast Marshall and Rutherford Counties, with a large gap in the damage across central Marshall County. This large tornado is estimated to have touched down southwest of Brick Church in northeast Giles County, then moved north-northeast into Marshall County west of Cornersville. A student at the Mars Hill School, which was located 3 miles west of Cornersville near present-day Highway 129 at Wright Road, died several days after the tornado from his injuries per newspaper reports. Grazulis erroneously says this death and the Mars Hill School were located in Lawrence County, which is clearly incorrect. Continuing north-northeast, the tornado struck the Wilson Hill School on present-day Wilson Hill Road near Globe Road, killing a school teacher. The tornado then struck Duncanville, causing severe damage to farms and other buildings in and near the community, with one home northwest of town leveled and a woman blown several hundreds yards out into adjacent fields. Curving nearly due northward, the tornado continued damaging numerous farms and outbuildings as it passed just east of South Berlin, halfway between Berlin and Verona, and through Lillard Mills where a school and mill were damaged. The tornado is estimated to have lifted southwest of Caney Springs near the Duck River. Although the majority of the damage appears to be in the F1/F2 range based on damage descriptions, and F3 rating was used here due to the complete destruction of the Harris home northwest of Duncanville.

Damage:

GRAZULIS: Moved NNE from Bodenham to Culleoka. Three people died as about 10 homes were destroyed at Culleoka. This track was parallel to, and 10 miles west of the next tornado (or family of tornadoes) in Giles, Marshall, and Rutherford counties. Thousands of trees were reportedly downed for many miles north of Culleoka.

FROM THE PULASKI CITIZEN ON MARCH 20, 1913: Two distinct windstorms, accompanied by vivid lightning and downpour of rain, swept over the western and northeastern portion of Giles County in the early evening of March 13, 1913. Damage to houses, barns, out-houses, plowed land and fencing was estimated at several thousand dollars. The first cyclone swept across western Tennessee about 2:30 P.M. Then about an hour and a half later at 4:00 another storm struck Giles and Maury Counties going northward. This was a wide spread system as it traveled over several states and most of Tennessee. This storm reminded Giles Countians of the devastating storm and flood of 1902, which struck Giles County. This 1902 storm resulted in the loss of several lives and causing thousands and thousands of dollars damage to buildings, bridges, and land, however there was no known loss of life in Giles County, but the property damage to Giles was very heavy.

FROM THE CHARLESTON NEWS & COURIER ON MARCH 15, 1913: In middle Tennessee the most disastrous work of the storm was in Maury County so far as reports have been received. The dead there are Mrs. Alice Peebles, widow of a widely known Methodist preacher, and Charles S. Williamson, both of Culleoka, and J.O. Lanier, of Rally Hill. Mrs. Heinina Orr, of Bryant Station, is reported killed. Mrs. Williamson, who had a broken hip, is dead. She was buried so deep in the timbers of her home that two hours were required to dig her out. Three people are reported to have been killed in South Berlin.

FROM THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE ON MARCH 14, 1913: A cyclone struck Pleasant Grove, Maurey [sic] County, about one o'clock this afternoon, demolishing practically every house in the place, and, according to meager telephone reports, killing three or four men. Along those killed was George Williamson, a prominent farmer. Smith Brothers' general store was completely destroyed. The Louisville & Nashville depot was blown into shreds, but a number of passengers at the depot at the time, waiting for a train, were uninjured. A train was lost on the Duck River branch of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad, and so far efforts to located it have been unsuccessful, as all wires are down. All creeks are out of banks, telegraph and telephone wires are down, and much damage to property done. The chimneys of the residence of Newton White, speaker of the state senate, at Wales, were blown down.

SHAMBURGER (2017): Plotting the damaged residences and buildings on historical maps of Maury and Marshall Counties show that this is a clearly separate tornado from the one that struck Culleoka, as well as the tornado that hit further southeast west of Lewisburg. This tornado is estimated to have begun near the Duck River west of present-day Highway 431, then moved north-northeast along the Maury/Marshall County border. The tornado struck Hardison Mills, damaging buildings and the mill, as well as collapsing a barn that killed J. O. Lanier. The exact location of this collapsed barn is uncertain and may have been on the Marshall County side of the border. The tornado continued north-northeast, damaging houses and farms as far as the Lunns Store area, west of present-day Lunns Store Road and Simpson Lane in far northwest Marshall County. Damage descriptions indicate this tornado was definitely weaker than the Culleoka and Duncanville tornadoes, so a rating of F1 is used here.