Although Quincy sits at the eastern edge of what is referred to as “tornado alley,” it is sometimes difficult to determine damage actually caused by a tornado or the residual winds of a tornado in the area.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the last tornado near our city occurred on June 14, 1998, and touched the far south side of town, knocking out all the windows of Sheridan Swim Club. There have been other tornadoes that directly hit the main part of the city causing great damage, yet fortunately taking only a few lives.
On June 14, 1875, about 8:15 p.m., a tornado came from the northwest and entered the city near Third and Chestnut. It caused great damage between College and Broadway as it headed toward the fairgrounds, then located at 30th and Maine. Many houses sustained damage, and the roof was blown off Jackson School at Eighth and College. St. Mary Hospital had bad roof damage, and five chimneys were toppled. One person was killed. John Menne went to his brickyard at Eighth and Elm to cover some of the bricks, and a heavy board blown by the wind struck him in the head, crushing his skull. Damage from this tornado was estimated to be $50,000.
On Sept. 24, 1881, a tornado struck Quincy causing damage estimated at $100,000. The roofs of many buildings west of Washington Park were torn away, and the west side of the city was in ruins. In terms of lives lost, this tornado was the worst causing the deaths of four people: Lon Wilson, George Roland, Henry Workhouse, and Frank Smith. Roland was killed at the Bonnet and Duffy Stove Foundry, and Workhouse was killed at the Joel Harris tobacco plant on North Front Street. As far as buildings go, the Comstock-Castle foundry at Front Street south of Delaware suffered the most damage.
A tornado hit Macon, Mo., killing five people about 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 12, 1902. It reached the southwest part of Quincy about 7 p.m. and headed east. The southern part of town sustained the most damage, but there were few injuries to the citizens of Quincy. The roof of the Comstock-Castle Stove foundry was blown off. Two smokestacks of the new electric light plant at Front and State were knocked down. The trees of the city suffered most. South Park and Indian Mounds Park lost many trees, but hardest hit was Greenmount Cemetery near 12th and Harrison. Out of approximately 500 trees, there were only a few intact trees left standing. Most had been sheared off about six feet above ground level. The home of William Holtman, the caretaker of the cemetery, was badly damaged and had to be rebuilt. But far worse, the records of the cemetery were blown away and lost forever. The damage from this tornado was approximately $45,000.
Thursday, April 12, 1945, was a very sad day for the nation. News reached Quincy at 4:53 p.m.. that President Franklin Roosevelt had died. Little did the citizens of Quincy know that in a few hours they would be subjected to Quincy’s worst tornado. At 10:20 p.m. the tornado entered the city at Front and Jefferson heading northeast. The area between Third and Ninth streets from Jersey to Vermont was the hardest hit. The west wall of St. Peter Church at Eighth and Maine was destroyed. The large dome of the Adams County Courthouse at Fifth and Vermont, which had been built in 1871, was knocked off the building.
Twenty-five hundred square feet of roofing was also ripped off, but most of the records were saved. More than 20 buildings sustained damage in the hard hit area, especially Kline’s Department Store. The back end of Turner Hall in the 900 block of Hampshire was blown out. The rear end of the A & P building at 10th and Broadway was badly wrecked, and the Von Burg Jewelry Store was a total loss.
Again, many trees were stripped of their leaves or even uprooted. The damage was estimated at approximately one million dollars. For the next two weeks, much of the downtown area was blocked off, and only people who obtained a pass from City Hall were allowed to enter the area. The area was secured by 175 state highway patrol officers and state militia. So dense was the crowd in the area the next day that the militia had to move them away with bayonets from the falling rubble. Nineteen people were injured, but fortunately no one died. One man who lived at 606 Hampshire was buried under the rubble for four hours before being rescued. A few people blamed the disturbance on just “FDR and God fighting over the power up there.”
Fortunately, today we have better means of forecasting impending storms and tornadoes and better means of warning those who are in such danger.
Patrick McGinley is a retired educator of Quincy Public Schools and John Wood Community College. He earned his doctorate at SIU Carbondale. He is presently the secretary of the board of directors of the Historical Society.
Sources
Adam, David. "The Night FDR and God ‘Fought for Power.'" Quincy Herald-Whig. April 12, 2005.
Landrum, Carl. "Quincy's October tornado in 1902." Quincy Herald-Whig. March 10, 1991.
Landrum, Carl. "Tornado – like winds in 1902 cause major damage to southern part of Quincy." Quincy Herald-Whig. August 14, 2002.
Landrum, Carl. "Tornadoes devastated city in 1875, 1945." Quincy Herald-Whig. May 16, 1999.
"19 injured in tornado." Quincy Herald-Whig. April 13, 1945.
"Ruins of August Hagerbaumer's Barn." Quincy Journal. October 14, 1902.
"Tornado caused million dollar loss in Quincy." Quincy Herald-Whig. April 15, 1945