1929 — April 21, Tornadoes, AR (13) especially Tillar plantation, LA (3) and MS (7)  —   23

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 2-10-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–23  Blanchard tally of State breakouts from Thomas Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes, p. 825.

–13  Arkansas.            14:30 F3.

            –9  people in one home 4 miles northwest of Tillar [Desha and Drew counties.]

—  3  Louisiana.           15:30 F3. Two homes 10M WSW of Oak Ridge. [Morehouse Par.]

—  7  Mississippi          15:15 F2.

            –5  Dahomey  [Bolivar County]

            –1  Shaw        [Bolivar and Sunflower counties.]

            –1  Sunflower County?

Arkansas        (13)

–13  AP. “13 Killed as Tornado Hits State.” Blytheville Courier News, AR. 4-22-1929, p. 1.

            –11  Tillar plantation outside Tillar.

Louisiana       (  3)

–3  Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 825.
–2  Monroe News-Star, LA. “Tornado Kills 2 Persons near Oak Ridge…” 4-22-2029, p. 1.

            –2  Oak Ridge area.

Mississippi      (  7)

–7  AP. “Seven Killed In State.” Daily Herald, Biloxi and Gulfport, MS. 4-22-1929, p. 1.

            –5  Dahomey area.

            –1  Shaw area.

            –1  Taylor plantation eight miles northwest of Shaw.

–5  Dahomey area.  AP. “13 Killed as Tornado Hits State.” Blytheville Courier News, AR. 4-22-1929, p. 1.

Narrative Information

April 22, AP: “(By Associated Press)  Outbursts of the elements – floods, tornadoes and winds, hail and rain storms, took 32 lives in the middle west, southwest and south over the week-end, injured two score persons or more, and did hundreds of thousands of dollars damage.

“The Arkansas tornado killed 13 persons, 11 of them negroes working on a plantation at Tillar. Property damage was reported from other sections of the state.

“Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana were visited by the twister between 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock Sunday afternoon. It came out of the southwest and traveled northeast. The cyclone which struck in Northeast Louisiana is thought to have split from the one which struck in Mississippi and Arkansas.

“The storm struck its hardest one mile north of Tillar, Drew County, Ark., where it killed 11 negroes and injured a few others on the Tillar plantation. A swathe about 150 yards wide and three miles long was cut through the plantation.

“After dipping down on the Tillar plantation and not damaging the town of Tillar or any other of the rural communities, the storm swept on into Bolivar County, Miss., and dipped down near Shaw, Stormville, and Dahomey, near Benoit.

“Near Dahomey, five negroes were killed. Two white persons and 23 negroes were injured.” (Assoc. Press. “13 Killed as Tornado Hits State.” Blytheville Courier News, AR. 4-22-1929, p. 1.)

April 22, AP: “Greenville, Miss., April 22. – (AP) – Three communities in Bolivar County, Miss., today counted seven dead, all negroes, at least 30 injured, several seriously, and considerable property destruction in a spring tornado that swept that section yesterday afternoon.

“Near Dahomey, five negroes are known to have been killed. Two white persons and 23 negroes were injured….

“One negro was killed and three others injured slightly near Shaw.

“On the Taylor Plantation, eight miles northwest of Shaw, a negro was killed and at least six houses were destroyed.

“Innumerable homes and outbuildings on plantations throughout the section where the tornado struck were damaged or destroyed.

“After visiting Mississippi the tornado continued in a northwest direction, striking again near Morehouse and Ouachita parishes in northeast Louisiana. Numerous dwellings and barns were damaged in that section.” (Associated Press. “Seven Killed In State.” Daily Herald, Biloxi and Gulfport, MS. 4-22-1929, p. 1.)

April 22, Monroe News-Star, LA: “A toll of two lives was taken near Oak Ridge Sunday afternoon when a tornado, twisting its way south from Arkansas, dipped first at Fowler, north of Monroe, continued in a south-easterly direction and then turned back northeast leaving a trail of havoc at Crobon [?], Doss and near Oak Ridge. Apparently the whirlwind, which had exceedingly high velocity within its narrow scope, lifted after cutting its swath in Morehouse, and lowered again in southeast Arkansas, where 13 persons were killed. A white woman, Mrs. Fannie Kennedy, aged 75, and a negro woman, were the fatalities recorded in this section of Louisiana. More than a score were injured….” (Monroe News-Star, LA. “Tornado Kills 2 Persons near Oak Ridge…” 4-22-2029, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “13 Killed as Tornado Hits State.” Blytheville Courier News, AR. 4-22-1929, p. 1. Accessed 2-10-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/blytheville-courier-news-apr-22-1929-p-1/

Associated Press. “Seven Killed In State.” Daily Herald, Biloxi and Gulfport, MS. 4-22-1929, p. 1. Accessed 2-10-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/biloxi-daily-herald-apr-22-1929-p-1/

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

Monroe News-Star, LA. “Tornado Kills 2 Persons near Oak Ridge…” 4-22-2029, p. 1. Accessed 2-10-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/monroe-news-star-apr-22-1929-p-1/