April 8, 1903 Hopewell-Cullman-Blount County F4 Tornado 

****Note: Some publications falsely stated that the Hopewell tornado was in Blount County, while it was in fact in Cullman County.***

From The Birmingham News, April 8, 1903, pg. 1:

Cyclone Slays Eleven Persons And Injures Several More

Passed a Mile and a Half North of Hanceville at 2 A.M.

Swept Everything In Path

Families Are Almost Wiped Out by the Pitiless Destroyer, Which Did Not Spare Tender Childhood. An Accurate List of the Dead.

Much Property Destroyed.

Special to the Birmingham News.

Hanceville, Ala., April 8. – A disastrous cyclone passed over the country about a mile and a half north of here this morning between 1 and 2 o’clock. So far as can be ascertained eleven persons were killed and about fifteen or twenty injured.

             The list of the dead so far as can be ascertained is as follows:

             Henry McCoy and three children.

             J.P. Griffin, wife and son.

             C.C. Oden and three children.

             Mrs. C.C. Oden was seriously and perhaps fatally hurt.

             One report says that the entire Oden family was killed, consisting of Henry Oden, wife and seven children.

             The path of the storm was three-quarters of a mile, and everything in its track was swept away. The destruction to property was great.

The McCoy Family.

Pickens McCoy, of this city, who is a brother of Henry McCoy, whose family was reported killed, received the following telegram from Hanceville this morning:

             “Henry McCoy and one of his children killed.

                                                                                                             “J.M. Bland.”

A. Burns, of Alabama City, a brother-in-law of Mr. McCoy, received one from the same place, reading as follows:

“Come at once. Henry McCoy and family killed in storm.

                                                                                             “E.L. Vest.”

             The family of Henry McCoy consisted of husband and wife and seven children. Mrs. Arizona McCoy was the wife, and the children were named Minnie, Frank, Ira, Issie, Birtie, James and Fred. The oldest, Minnie, is 13 years of age, while Fred, the youngest, is but four months old. The family resided in a newly erected frame house one and a half miles from Hanceville. Mr. McCoy was a farmer, about 35 years of age.

From The Birmingham Age-Herald, April 9, 1903, pg. 1:

Cyclone Sweeps Through Northern Blount Leaving Trail Of Death And Desolation

Without a Moment’s Warning Homes of Farmers Are Torn From Their Foundations and the Inmates Killed or Injured and Some Maimed for Life. Storm Cuts a Path Sixteen Miles Long, and in Some Places Less Than Quarter of a Mile Wide.

People Come From Miles Around to Witness the Destruction Wrought and Assist in Caring for the Injured – in One Place Dead Are Placed at Foot of Bed on Which the Wounded Are Suffering.

Hanceville, Ala., April 8. – A violent wind from the west, accompanied by an almost continuous electrical display, wrought havoc to life and property at Hopewell settlement, about two miles from Hanceville this morning between 1 and 2 o’clock, and as a result ten persons are dead, six are expected to die and fourteen others are seriously injured, some of whom will be crippled for life.

             The cyclone struck about a mile and a half northwest of here and completely devastated a territory about one-fourth of a mile wide and sixteen miles long.

             In the path of the storm there were about thirty homes of the most prosperous farmers in this section, and the property loss will reach over $100,000, including ruined homes, miles of fences torn down, several orchards ruined and barns and outhouses swept away.

             The list of dead and injured follows:

             The Dead.

             Henry McCoy, farmer, skull crushed and internal injuries.

             Bertie McCoy, 4-year-old daughter of Henry McCoy.

             Fred McCoy, three-month-old son of Henry McCoy.

             J.P. Griffin, aged 65 years, farmer.

             Mrs. J.P. Griffin, aged 60 years.

             James Griffin, deaf and dumb, son of J.P. Griffin.

             C.C. Oden, aged 44 years, farmer.

             Hester Oden, 14 years old, daughter of C.C. Oden.

             Naomie Oden, 13 years old, daughter of C.C. Oden.

             Selma Oden, 9 years old, daughter of C.C. Oden.

             Fatally Injured.

             Ide McCoy, 8 years old, son of Henry McCoy, head and body crushed.

             Jimmie McCoy, 3 years old, skull crushed and hips broken.

             Miller Oden, 11 years old, both legs broken and skull crushed.

             Tom Oden, 17 years old, back, head and chest crushed and internal injuries.

             Mrs. C.C. Oden, collar and breast bone broken and hip dislocated.

             Will Lee, head and breast crushed.

             Others Injured.

             Minnie McCoy, 12 years old, badly bruised and cut, will recover.

             Frank McCoy, 10 years old, left arm broken and other serious bruises, including bruised head, will live.

             Mrs. Henry McCoy, aged 36 years, head, shoulders and breast bruised, may die.

             Isabel McCoy, right arm broken and face cut and bruised.

             Mrs. Palestine Morton, a widow, injured about head and shoulders.

             Inez Horton, 17 years old, slightly bruised and cut about head and breast.

             Richard Griffin, aged 32 years, body cut and bruised, not serious.

             Phoebie O. Oden, aged 6, arm broken and head cut and bruised.

             Herman Oden, aged 4 years, head and feet mashed.

             Four sons of R.G. Quick, all under 15 years of age. Two of these may die, but they live miles away, and particulars are meagre. Their names are Jim, Dink, Henry and Roland.

Struck Griffin’s Home First.

The storm first struck the home of the Griffins, where it killed three persons and razed the house and barns to the ground. The residence was a two-story frame building, and the family was on the second floor. This part of the house was carried about 100 feet, and Mr. Griffin and his wife were found lying near a pile of rafters. There was nothing over them; death evidently was instantaneous to the former, caused by the shock received when he was hurled to the ground.

             James Griffin and his deaf and dumb son was found dead about twenty yards from the house. Mrs. Griffin died a few hours later at the residence of Mr. John McCoy. Parts of the house were thrown several hundred yards in all directions.

             The cone of the storm then passed a little farther to the west, where it struck the residence of the Odens, where four persons were killed, three others fatally injured, and three more or less injured, and to look at the house it seems wonderful that more were not killed. They were all carried 150 yards from the house and dropped by the wind on top of a small hill in the center of a field. They were within a few feet of each other, the heads of several of them being buried in the ground.

Dead And Injured In Same Room.

All the dead and injured were carried to the Caldwell residence a short distance away where the remains of the four who were killed are lying side by side at the foot of a bed on which two of the injured are tossing. In adjoining rooms lie several other wounded people, two of whom cannot live.

             The residence of the Odens was completely wrecked and debris was scattered for 300 yards. A peculiar feature at this house was that it was carried in one direction, while several trees a few yards off were carried in the opposite direction. It seems to have been just in the center of the track.

             The storm next struck the residence of John McCoy, father of Henry McCoy who was killed, and grandfather of the children. It broke down trees in the yard, damaged the roof of the house and barn, but did not injure anyone, although there were several people in the house.

Only Struck One Corner.

The storm jumped over the house, only striking one corner. A four-acre grove of very large pine trees just back of the house was completely razed to the ground. Not a tree remains standing. These were the largest trees in the surrounding country, and illustrates better than anything else the force of the storm.

             At this house there are the remains of the McCoys who were killed. The little boy Fred was found in the arms of his father, who was blown against a stump and his skull crushed. His neck was also broken. Death was instantaneous. Bertie McCoy, 4 years old, died from internal injuries and bruises about the head.

             The residence of Henry McCoy is about 200 yards east of that of his father, and it was here that he and his family were killed or injured. The house was completely ruined, as were the barns and other outhouses. The injured children were carried to the house of a neighbor just outside of the path of the storm, and two of them will probably die. All are injured about the head and face.

             When the storm struck the McCoy residence the family was up and partially dressed. The wind had been so high a few minutes previous that they had become frightened and were together in one room.

  Sounded Like A Train.

Minnie McCoy says that there was a sound as of a train rushing by, and when she regained consciousness she was lying a long distance from her home with her head in sand. She was less injured than the others, and at once began to assist them. She says that all had their heads buried in the ground, and that it was raining so hard she thinks her little sister was drowned.

             The house of Mrs. Horton was next in the path. It was completely destroyed and she and her daughter slightly injured. Their escape is wonderful, as not a vestige of the house remains within a number of yards of where it stood. A bedstead, which caught and would not give way to the storm, probably prevented their being killed, as the foot of it protected their heads from flying timbers.

             From there the storm seems to have jumped several miles to the Broglan river, where the Quick families live. They are about six miles from Hanceville, and the extent of their injuries is not known. The four boys injured were the sons of R.G. Quick, but the extent of the injuries of the different ones is not known. It is stated from a reliable source that two boys will die, but which two is not known.

Marvelous Escape.

The escape of this family is marvelous, as the house was razed to the ground and portions of it carried hundreds of yards. The storm then jumped across the river, where it destroyed several houses and fatally injured Will Lee.

             Information is meager, but the houses of Lee, Bass Herndon, August Plugrat and R.A. Peterson were destroyed and several people slightly injured.

             The storm then struck Holly Pond, between Brogland and Duck rivers, where some property was damaged but no one seriously injured. It is reported that the Bethlehem Methodist church was unroofed and torn from its foundation. The residence and barns of Can Patrick, T.J. Thigpen, Jim Barans and others whose names could not be ascertained were blown down and ruined.

Witnessed The Destruction.

H.A. Henderson, who lives just outside the track of the storm, gives the best account of it. He was the first to commence the work of rescue. He went to the aid of the Griffins about 3 o’clock this morning and has been helping ever since. He said:

             “From about 11 o’clock last night there was a stiff wind, but very little rain in this part of the county. At other places there was lots of rain. About 12:30 o’clock it started blowing hard, and in half an hour the wind was blowing a gale. A few minutes after 1 o’clock the cone-shaped wind, cloud and rain came down upon us. It struck and seemed to jump at places. It roared like a freight train, and lasted about as long as a train takes to pass. The lightning was the most constant and vivid I ever saw and the rain fell in torrents for several minutes. As soon as it passed I knew people were hurt, and I went to the Griffins and from there all around. The wind was from the north at first, and then switched to the west, and then it seemed to come from all directions. The center of the storm seemed to move from the northwest towards the south, and at times it made little circles, deviating from the straight line.”

             It is hard to estimate the property loss. Miss Willie McCoy of North Birmingham, a sister of Henry McCoy, arrived last night.

Has Brother In Birmingham.

J.P. McCoy of North Birmingham is a brother of the dead man. They have other relatives in Birmingham. Most of the bodies will be interred today in the Hopewell cemetery, as caskets have been secured from the undertaker at Cullman. Every one for miles around came to the scene of the havoc today, and hundreds of teams of every description blocked the roads around the houses where the dead and dying are. Physicians from Cullman attended the injured.

Age-Herald Photographers Work.

B.G. Covell, The Age-Herald’s special photographer, accompanied by a staff correspondent, left for Hanceville yesterday shortly after noon and did one of the quickest pieces of photographic work on record. Securing a rig at Hanceville he and the correspondent drove over the path of the storm, taking photographs of the various scenes of ruin. Catching a late freight train, Mr. Covell arrived in Birmingham at 9:30 o’clock. At 10:30 o’clock the photographs as reproduced in today’s Age-Herald had been developed and printed ready for the engraver. At 11:45 o’clock The Age-Herald engraving department had completely reproduced the pictures on zinc and had them ready for the printer.

From Anniston Hot Blast, April 9, 1903, pg. 1:

Eleven Persons Killed And Many Are Injured

Disastrous Cyclone Passes Over Hopewell Settlement in Blount County.

Storm Visits Peaceful Valley And Worked Havoc

At Early Hour Yesterday Morning Sleeping People Were Killed and Entire Families Were Wiped Off Face Of Earth.

Loss Of Property Will Reach Thousands.

Birmingham, Ala., April 8. – Meager information has reached here regarding a cyclone which passed a mile north of Hanceville over the Hopewell settlement on the line of Blount and Cullman counties, 42 miles north of here, about 1 o’clock this morning.

             Eleven are dead, four are fatally injured, a dozen more or less seriously hurt and much destruction to property comprises the results of the disastrous cyclone.

             The dead are:

             Henry McCoy and three children.

             C.C. Oden and three children.

             John Griffin, wife and son.

             The List of Injured.

             Fatally injured:

             Two children of Henry McCoy.

             Two children of C.C. Oden.

             Seriously injured:

             Mrs. Oden and one child.

             Mrs. McCoy.

             Among the less seriously hurt are:

             E.G. Quick, and family of five.

             The names of the other injured have not been ascertained.

Great Roar Was Heard.

The storm came from the southeast and its roar was so terrific that it awoke many people from their homes in time to escape death by having the houses blown down on them. Buildings were tossed about like paper boxes and several structures were blown a hundred yards or more.

             The body of McCoy, who was a prominent farmer, was blown two hundred yards, and landed in a sand pile. The house of Mr. John Horton was blown down, but the family escaped by crawling under the bed while the timber and brick fell on top of the bed, breaking the force of the fall.

             The houses of the Oden and Griffin families were smashed to splinters, and it seems marvelous that any of their occupants escaped death.

Trees Were Blown Like Straws.

Trees were uprooted in every direction and many were blown directly across the Louisville and Nashville railroad track, delaying traffic for a time.

             The roar of the storm was heard at Hanceville, where it awoke many people, but no damage was done here.

             As soon as the destruction wrought became known here rescuers hurried to the scene to give attention to the dead and wounded.

             The death list at noon stood at eleven, but it is possible that it may be larger, as some of the bodies found were blown some distance from the homes of the dead.

From The Mountain Eagle, Jasper, Alabama, April 15, 1903, pg. 2:

Death And Destruction By Cyclone

Ten People Killed Outright and 20 Wounded in our Neighboring County of Blount.

Blount county was visited by a terrible cyclone on Tuesday night of last week, which left death and destruction in its wake.

             Ten people were killed outright and a score or more injured. The path of the cyclone was in the Hopewell district, two miles from Hanceville, on the Louisville & Nashville railroad 40 miles north of Birmingham. The storm was accompanied by almost constant electrical display, and the wind blew about 100 miles an hour. The territory destroyed is about one fourth of a mile wide and about 16 miles long. The wind struck in spots and had the territory been thickly populated, there would have been greater loss of life. Several of those injured will probably die.

             In the path of the storm there were about 30 houses of prosperous farmers of Blount county. The property loss is estimated at $100,000.

             The lists of dead and injured follows:

The Dead.

             Henry McCoy, age 40 years.

             Bertie McCoy, age 4 years.

             Freddie McCoy, age 3 months.

             J.P. Griffin, age 65 years.

             James Griffin, age 42 years.

             Mrs. J.P. Griffin, age 62 years.

             C.C. Oden, age 16 years.

             Hester Oden, age 16 years.

             Naomi Oden, age 13 years.

             Selma Oden, age 9 years.

Fatally Injured.

             Ira Edmond McCoy, age 8 years.

             James McCoy, age 3 years.

             Millard Oden, age 11 years.

             Thomas Oden, age 17 years.

             Mrs. C.C. Oden, age 40 years.

             Will Lee, age 38 years.

             Dink Quick, under 14 years.

             Roland Quick, under 14 years.

Seriously Injured.

             Frank McCoy, age 10 years.

             Mrs. Henry McCoy, age 38 years.

More Or Less Slightly Injured.

             Minnie McCoy, age 12 years.

             Isabelle McCoy, age 6 years.

             Mrs. Palestine Horton, age 38.

             Miss Inez Horton, age 17 years.

             Richard Griffin, age 32 years.

             Phoebe Oden, age 6 years.

             Herman Oden, age 4 years.

             James Quick, under 14 years.

             Henry Quick, under 14 years.

             J. Wythe, age unknown.

             Newman Oden, age 15 months was in the midst of debris, surrounded by death, yet escaped without a scratch, being the only member of that large family at home to escape.

             The storm came from the southwest and traversed its destructive path in a northeasterly direction. The section through which it went is flat, on an elevated tableland, in the hilly section of Blount county. The same section was visited by a cyclone eighteen years ago, but it was not so destructive to life or property.

             One of the first houses visited was that of Nathan Griffin. The house was demolished and Mr. Griffin and his son, James, were killed in the twinkling of an eye. Mrs. Griffin was so badly injured that she died before daylight. Another son and a niece of Mrs. Griffin made miraculous escapes, running from the house before the demolition was complete and thus saving their lives. They were injured but will recover.

             The house of John McCoy was next wrecked, but he and his family escaped with severe bruises. The house was destroyed and the inmates cannot account for their escape.

             The home of Henry McCoy, son of John McCoy, received the worst impact of the storm, and he and his baby and two other children were almost immediately killed, while his wife was severely injured and two other children were not expected to live. He was still clasping his lifeless baby in his arms when his body was found close to the house. Evidently he had made an effort to get out of the house, carrying the children with him. The bodies were terribly disfigured by flying planks that struck them.

             The storm then took an easterly direction and struck the house of C.C. Oden. The trees in the yard were twisted into gnarled shapes and even the vegetables in the garden were torn from their places in the earth. Mr. Oden was killed outright and so were his three daughters, 15, 12 and 9 years, respectively. Mrs. Oden received injuries from which she died later.

             The home of Mrs. Henry Horton was next attacked by the storm and it was wrecked, but Mrs. Horton was not badly injured. Then came the home of R.G. Quick. It went to smithereens and he and his two children were injured and a mule killed, but there were no fatalities.

             The storm then jumped to Cherokee county, where a little 7-year-old son of C.C. Bishop was killed and other members of the family injured.

From The Southern Democrat, Oneonta, Alabama, April 16, 1903, pg. 3:

The Cyclone.

Death and destruction marks the path of the cyclone which passed along the line between Blount and Cullman counties on Wednesday morning of last week, the greatest loss of life and property being near Hanceville in Cullman county.

             The dead are: Henry McCoy, Bertie McCoy, Fred McCoy, Nathan Griffin, aged 80 years, Mrs. Nathan Griffin, aged 74 years, James Griffin, C.C. Oden, Hester Oden, Naomi Oden, Selma Oden, Issie McCoy, Miller Oden, Minnie McCoy.

             The seriously injured are: Ida McCoy, James Oden, Tom Oden, Mrs. C.C. Oden and Will Lee. A hundred or more others are more or less injured.

             The first appearance of the storm was in the Hopewell community near Hanceville between one and two o’clock. There it was most terrific and did the greatest damage. From there it seemed to follow Mulberry river, going within three or four miles of Blountsville passing through Hunt and Summit where a number of houses, barns and fences were blown down. Among the most seriously injured on this side of the county line is Mrs. Will Cargo who lives near Hunt, but it is thought she will recover.

             A hundred or more houses were entirely destroyed and the damage to property has been estimated at $200,000.

             The people are destitute, some of them being left with nothing but their night clothing and that partly torn off of them. The calls for help are being liberally responded to throughout the country, but enough has not yet been realized to relieve the suffering.

From The Progressive Age, Scottsboro, Alabama, April 16, 1903, pg. 1:

North Alabama.

The Cullman Tribune and The Democrat give many particulars of the appalling cyclone which swept the southern portion of Cullman county on the 10th at 2 o’clock a.m. Ten persons near Hopewell church were killed instantly; two fatally injured; six seriously hurt; twelve less seriously hurt. In the McCoy family four were killed, three in the family of Mr. Griffin and three of the Oden family. At Walter, a mile from Hopewell, ten houses were wrecked, but no persons seriously hurt.