1949 — Nov 24, Tornado Outbreak, Blount, DeKalb and Tallapoosa counties, east AL– 15

lornajarrettblanchard November 24, 1949

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Sep 8, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–15 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, pp. 230 & 951.

— 4 Blount County

–3 Easley

–1 Oneonta, NW edge of

— 1 DeKalb County

–10 Tallapoosa County

–15 National Weather Service. Alabama Tornado Database. “1949 [US] Tornado Summary.”

— 1 DeKalb County, 18:00, F2. Sand Mountain-S Henagar-N Mentone

–10 Tallapoosa County, 17:15, F2, Hackneyville-NE Alexander City

— 4 Blunt County, 17:15 F4. Fairview-Oneonta-Tate’s Gap.

–3 Easley home

–1 Oneonta home

Newspaper breakouts of fatalities:

— 2 Easley community. Mrs. Gus Tidwell and sister-in-law Miss Jennie Tidwell.[1]

–10 Hackneyville area, Tallapoosa Co. Harkins family when house was blown into 2^nd house.[2]

— 1 Henagar. Shock of losing his and his son’s homes; Joshua Graves, according to 3 doctors.[3]

— 1 Oneonta, Blount County. Unidentified person.[4]

— 1 Sand Mountain, near Valley Head, DeKalb Co. D. Reuben Crabtree, 54 of Valley Head[5]

Narrative Information

Grazulis: “AL NOV 24, 1949 1715 4k 44inj 100y 15m F4. BLOUNT – Moved ENE from “Fairview” to “Easley,” Oneonta, and Tate’s Gap. A total of 32 homes and 84 other buildings were damaged or destroyed. Several homes were swept completely away. Over 100 head of livestock were killed. Three people were killed in one home at Easley, and one person died in a home at the NW edge of Oneonta. $130,000.

“AL NOV 24, 1949 1715 10k 10inj 100y 3m F2. TALLAPOOSA – Moved E from east of Hackneyville; 8m NE of Alexander City. A woman and nine children died when their small home was picked up and thrown into another home, 150 yards away. Residents of the second home were injured. $3,000.

“AL NOV 24, 1949 1800 lk 20inj 100y 10m F2. DE KALB – Moved E, hitting only the tops of the Sand Mountain Ridges from south of Henagar to 5m N of Mentone. Three homes were destroyed, and seven were damaged.” (Grazulis 1993, p. 951.)

Newspaper

Nov 25, AP: “Birmingham, Ala., Nov. 25 – (AP) – Thanksgiving Day tornadoes roared down at four points in East Alabama yesterday and killed 14 persons. Forty-four persons were injured. The vicious, out-of-season storms left several other persons missing and destroyed more than a score of buildings as they leap-frogged in three counties about dusk.

“An entire family of 10 negroes was wiped out near Hackneyville in Tallapoosa County, 60 miles southeast of Birmingham. The mammoth wind picked up their weather-beaten little home and hurled it 300 yards across the road into another house. The second house was occupied by another large family of negroes, but none was reported hurt. Both houses were demolished – witnesses said they appeared to explode after the smashing impact.

“Near Oneonta, in Blount county two members of a white family were killed at the Easley community. The same twister hopped a small mountain and stuck again on the Northern outskirts of Oneonta, where 34 persons were hurt. Property damage was heavy.

“Another person was killed and five injured by the tornados fury on Sand mountain, near Valley Head in DeKalb county. Valley Head is 90 miles northeast of here….” (AP. “Fourteen Dead, Heavy Losses in Wake of Storm.” The Decatur Daily, AL, 11-25-1949, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Fourteen Dead, Heavy Losses in Wake of Storm.” The Decatur Daily, AL, 11-25-1949, p. 1. Accessed 9-8-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/decatur-daily-nov-25-1949-p-1/

Associated Press. “Shock of Losing His Home in Tornado is Blamed For Death.” The Decatur Daily, AL. 11-27-1949, p. 1. Accessed 9-8-2023 at:

https://newspaperarchive.com/decatur-daily-nov-27-1949-p-1/

Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VE: Environmental Films, 1993, 1,326 pages.

National Weather Service, Birmingham, Alabama Weather Forecast Office. Alabama Tornado Database. “1949 [US] Tornado Summary.” Accessed 9-8-2023 at: https://www.weather.gov/bmx/tornadodb_1949

[1] AP. “Fourteen Dead, Heavy Losses in Wake of Storm.” The Decatur Daily, AL, 11-25-1949, p. 1-2.

[2] Victims identified as Sam Harkins and his wife, Allie Rae Harkins, 14, Lillie Mae Harkins, 18, Alberta Harkins, 18, Bennie L. Booker, Robert Lewis Butler, Billy James Thomas, Bobby Wayne Thomas and Dora Gladys Butler. (AP. “Fourteen Dead, Heavy Losses in Wake of Storm.” The Decatur Daily, AL, 11-25-1949, p. 1.)

[3] “Fort Payne, Ala., Nov. 26 – (AP) – The shock of losing his home and belongings in Thursday’s tornado caused the death today of Joshua Graves, 72, of Henagar, 3 physicians said. Graves and his wife, Laura, sought shelter with neighbors after their loss. A son, William Graves also lost his home and belongings in the storm-swept community near here. These two homes were among 13 destroyed in DeKalb county by the tornado. Fourteen persons were killed in East Alabama by the freak twisters.” (Associated Press. “Shock of Losing His Home in Tornado is Blamed For Death.” The Decatur Daily, AL. 11-27-1949, p. 1.)

[4] AP. “Fourteen Dead, Heavy Losses in Wake of Storm.” The Decatur Daily, AL, 11-25-1949, p. 2.

[5] AP. “Fourteen Dead, Heavy Losses in Wake of Storm.” The Decatur Daily, AL, 11-25-1949, p. 1.

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