March 3, 1893 Choctaw-Marengo County Tornado

From The Choctaw Alliance, Butler, Alabama, March 8, 1893, pg. 4:

A destructive cyclone passed through the southern part of this county eight or ten miles south of here Friday night, doing much damage. The residence and everything about the place of Mrs. Manley, a widow with five children, was swept away, not even leaving them shifting clothes or bedding. All or very nearly all of her household and kitchen furniture was scattered and broken to atoms. All in the inmates escaped with but little injury, so far as we have been able to learn. A relief fund was raised here Monday for her and her family. The storm continued with its wild and destructive commotion for several miles bearing northeast, but the report of Mrs. Manley’s wreck is the worst that has reached our ears.

From The Choctaw Herald, Butler, Alabama, March 9, 1893, pg. 4:

The Cyclone.

Last Friday night, the 3rd inst., a fearful cyclone passed over the central portion of this county, which did great damage to property, but fortunately no lives were lost.

             The cyclone came up from the southwest and struck this county about eleven miles southwest of Butler. At this point the roof of Mr. O.P. Elmonds’ gin house was blown off, and one end of the house occupied by Mr. W.R. Cox was torn from the main part of the building and scattered in every direction. Mrs. R. Manley’s place was the next struck – her dwelling house was completely demolished, together with nearly every outhouse and negro house on the place.

             Mr. Wm. Giggins’ dwelling, about eight miles south of here, and in range of the wind, was completely demolished, as was also his stables and every tenement house on his place. Not a vestige of anything, save a mass of broken timber, was left to mark the place where the buildings stood.

             The dwelling of Mr. Lum Wiggins together with a large amount of fencing and several cabins on the place, was taken before the wind.

             At Mt. Ararat, the dwelling of Mrs. S.C. Scurlock, was literally torn into pieces and Mr. Wm. Hurst’s house was unroofed.

             The main track of the storm was about 250 or 300 feet wide, and everything in that track was swept before the raging winds. Large trees were wrenched off and uprooted; near Mr. Wiggins’ place a strip of woods about half a mile long, which was very heavily timbered not a single tree was left standing.

             The winds continued on in its course from the Mountain, but we have heard of no other damage, save the destruction of a vast amount of valuable forest timber.