March 11, 1884 Tuscaloosa County Tornado

From The Tuscaloosa Times, March 19, 1884, pg. 3:

A terrific cyclone passed through this Co., on the night of the 11th. In the neighborhood of Taylorville, considerable damage was done. Mrs. Tarrant’s dwelling-house was partly blown down, and badly damaged. Mr. Scott had a stable completely demolished, and some other damage done to out-houses. Rev. Mr. Payne lost his barn and stables, and suffered other losses.  A number of small dwellings and out-houses were more or less damaged in the “Cherokee” neighborhood, about four miles from this city. Mr. W.W. Prude, near Cottondale, had a store-house blown away, and a stock of goods scattered and greatly damaged. Mr. Prude’s out-houses, stables, cribs, etc., were all blown down, or more or less damaged. In other places, slight damage was done to dwellings and other houses, and fences and timber were blown down all along the track of the tornado. Fortunately, no person, so far as we have heard, was killed, or even seriously hurt. The track of the cyclone was narrow – not more than from 1 to 2 hundred yards in width.

From The Tuskaloosa Gazette, March 20, 1884, pg. 3:

A severe cyclone passed through Taylorville, four miles south of Tuskaloosa on Tuesday night of last week. Mrs. Tarrant’s residence was almost completely wrecked; a great deal of fencing was blown away; the top was taken off of Rev. Mr. Payne’s stable, but his stock escaped unhurt. The colored church called Jerusalem was blown down, and also the school house nearby. Mack Scott’s stable and crib was blown down. The track of the cyclone was about a quarter of a mile in width. We learn that there was great destruction out about L.D. Browne’s place, and around Prude’s store.

             In Greene county, near Pleasant Ridge, the storm struck Lawrence Williams’ place and blew down all the out-houses. Passing on north Mrs. King’s, Simp. King’s, Richardson’s, Gilmore’s, and Newt. Eatman’s places suffered heavily, blowing down out-houses, fences, timber, etc. No lives or stock lost.