March 18, 1880 Pike-Crenshaw County Tornado 

From The Troy Messenger, March 25, 1880, pg. 3:

A destructive cyclone passed across the southern portion of this county on Thursday night of last week, doing great damage to timber and fencing and in blowing down and unroofing houses. The cyclone struck about three miles west of Smilie’s bridge, on Conecuh river, and took almost a due easterly course. On the west side of the river the plantation of Geo. S. Folmar, Jesse Folmar, Dr. F.J. Davis, Mrs. C.P. Stewart and J.F. Richburg were greatly damaged, the houses of the last mentioned gentleman having been blown down. Crossing the river the tornado, which was only about two hundred yards wide, struck the premises of L.C. Rose, tearing down everything in its pathway, and passed over the plantations of H.M. Bradley, W.J. Cowart, Jackson Cowart, W.M. Snider, J.H. Lightfoot, Mrs. L.J. Stricklan, J.F. Walters and J.M. Meadows, scattering fences, prostrating trees and blowing down buildings all along. After reaching Mr. Meadow’s, who lives about seven miles north of Troy, the cyclone seems to have expended its force, as little damage is reported beyond that point. The entire course of the tornado was about ten miles.