Edgar holds degrees in history and communications from Villanova University in Philadelphia and once lost big on an episode of the TV game show "Jeopardy!". [6] By afternoon, temperatures in Worcester had reached 80F (27C), with a dew point of 66F (19C); in combination with cold air aloft, this meant that atmospheric conditions were very unstable and conducive to severe weather. As a result of this debate, the National Weather Service took an unprecedented step and convened a panel of weather experts during the spring of 2005 to study the latest evidence on the wind strength of the Worcester tornado. Edgar B. Herwick III is the guy behind GBHs Curiosity Desk, where he answers your questions and examines some of the everyday mysteries hiding in plain sight. [13], At 5:08 P.M., the tornado entered Worcester and grew to a width of 1mi (1.6km). Finally it petered out over Framingham,having gobbled up everything in its way. The infamous 1953 Worcester Tornado was the worst during the outbreak sequence for a number of reasons. At approximately 4:25pm (EST), the tornado touched down in a forest near the town of Petersham, and proceeded to move through Barre, where two people were killed. 94 people were killed, making this tornado the 21st most deadly in the history of the United States. . Tornado of 1953 In 2003, to commemorate the 50 th anniversary of the June 9, 1953 tornado, Worcester Historical Museum reached out to the community and asked them to share their stories and images of this tragic date in Worcester's history where 94 people lost their lives. There were several eyewitness accounts, people who saw things like buses, storage tanks, and other debris thrown at buildings and homes, destroying them completely. At the Norton Company, the city's largest employer, the roof was torn off a new $6,000,000 factory building and heavy machinery was tossed about like toys. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. 1953 Worcester Tornado Victims The memorials in this virtual cemetery are to honor those who died as a result of the tornado that swept through the towns of Petersham, Barre, Rutland, Holden, Worcester, West Boylston, Shrewsbury, and Westborough on Tuesday June 9, 1953. It grabbed bodies and entire houses and tossed them intoLake Quinsigamond. If you are a relative of one of these individuals please contact me and I will be honored to transfer the memorial to you. Massachusetts, A system error has occurred. The storm then passed through Worcester, where it destroyed Assumption College and several other buildings, killing 60. 44 cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. The spring of 1953 had already brought horrific destruction and death to Waco, Texas; Flint, Mich . Jun 9, 1953: The great 1953 Worcester tornado killed 90 and injured 1228 when it hit Worcester. It was part of the FlintWorcester tornado outbreak sequence, which occurred over a three-day period from June 69, 1953. The resources of the Red Cross were depleted, as 1953 was considered one of the worst tornado periods in history. He said the Worcester people were so nice to them. Today, experts are aware that the city is part of New England's severe weather corridor. Weve updated the security on the site. USA, Rutland, USA, Kennebunk, . Over 4,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed in Worcester alone. He always tells us about the area after the tornado, as my daugher, his granddaughter, graduated from Anna Maria. Page 2 of 10 Jun 1953 Issue of Worcester Evening Gazette in Worcester, Massachusetts See the full image with a free trial. Massachusetts, Just a hum that was so deafening and I didnt dare close my eyes because I thought if I close my eyes I am going to die.". USA, Templeton, Massachusetts, Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. [12] Hardest-hit areas included Assumption College (building is now home to Quinsigamond Community College), where a priest and two nuns were killed. Vermont, Across Boylston St. from the Curtis Apartments, the Brookside Home Farm (a city-operated dairy facility and laundry) sustained total damage, with six men killed and the loss of its herd of 80 Holsteins. "A bus got lifted up, spun around and slammed into one of the apartment buildings and it killed two people on the bus," Conroy said. New Englands worst tornado struck without warning. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. "It only lasted about two minutes, but those two minutes seemed like an eternity and then we felt the sensation of getting picked up," said Rose Sands, who also participated in the oral history project. kdkb has not added any memorials to this virtual cemetery. Chittick, 2003. He was a senator or congressman then I believe. Share. . Andy Karlson, a longtime teacher, recalled that he, his wife, daughter and Jeffrey were driving home from Springfield on June 9, 1953, when they saw the storm. Get all the latest from Sanditon on GBH Passport, How one Brookline studio helps artists with disabilities thrive. Please reset your password. I was not even a month old when this happened. 1953 tornado killed 94 people and thousands more buildings were damaged or destroyed, including campus chapel at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. Slideshow. Mothers were holding children in their arms, covered with blood. New Englands worst tornado destroyed 4,000 buildings. The 1953 Worcester tornado was an extremely powerful and destructive tornado that struck the city of Worcester, Massachusetts and surrounding areas on Tuesday, June 9, 1953. After Van Zandts atomic bomb theory was disproved, the meteorological synopsis was released. They were taken to any car that was still functioning; with the streets choked with debris, volunteers drove to hospitals through back yards and gardens. The six fatalities at Brookside were the most in any one building in the tornado's path.[13]. Damage was phenomenal in Worcester (second-largest city in Massachusetts) and in some areas equaled the worst damage in any U.S. The tornado caused $52million in damage (equivalent to $527 million in 2021[1]). The cold front collided with warm air from the South, creating highly unusual conditions for a tornado in the northeastern United States. This browser does not support getting your location. Some, like 91-year-old Marion Schold of Shrewsbury, were reaching the age when some memories begin to fade. HS Unit I: Free But Far From Equal: The African American Experience in Massachusetts, 17801863, Lesson A: The Struggle for Racial Justice, 1780-1863, Activity 1: Starting With What Students Know, Activity 2: Exploring the Mass Moments Website for Answers, Lesson B: Men and Women, Black and White, Who Made a Difference, Activity 1: Interviewing Anti-Slavery Activists, Lesson C: The Fight for Equal Education, 18001855: Two Case Studies of School Desegregation. Winds reached speeds of 335 mph, among the highest ever recorded. Image courtesy: Eleanor Vallier Talbot - NWS Boston Above is what an radar image in 1953 looked like. People looking to the northwest saw an awful sight the memory of which unnerves them whenever storm clouds gather. It was recorded as the single deadliest tornado in U.S. history until the one that struck Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011. . The July 6, 1911 edition of the Meriden Morning Record reported on the many deaths and drownings caused by the oppressive heat throughout the region, the worst weather disaster in New England history. The tornado picked up a 12-ton bus and slammed it against the Curtis Apartments, killing two and dropping the buildings blueprints in, in New Hampshire, and others caused minor damage in. Comment by Znhoward | 06/08/2005, Comment by charliek | 06/09/2005, Comment by ww1acepilot@yahoo.com | 02/05/2006, Comment by ww1acepilot@yahoo.com | 05/15/2006, Comment by doedoe | 06/09/2010, Comment by kamsg@aol.com | 06/22/2010, Comment by doctorJ | 06/09/2014. Huge trees, cars, and even roofs flew past. The highest rating recorded for a Massachusetts tornado was one that struck Worcester in July 1953, which was an EF-4, Vallier-Talbot said. Winds estimated at 317 to 327 mph scoured the paint off cars, plucked chickens clean, and sucked the clothing even the shoes off anyone unfortunate enough to be its path. Follow us so you don't miss a thing! The tornado picked up a 12-ton bus and slammed it against the Curtis Apartments, killing two and dropping the buildings blueprints in Duxbury, Mass. It was part of the Flint-Worcester tornado outbreak sequence, which occurred over a three-day period from June 6-9, 1953.The storm stayed on the ground for nearly 90 minutes, traveling 48 miles across Central . Boaters on the Quabbin Reservoir first noticed the boiling clouds in the sky, which formed into three funnels. A 12-year-old boy, Larry Faucher, struggled against the wind to bring his bicycle home, but the killer tornado picked him up before he made it and hurled him to his death in a field. 44 cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Please try again later. Also, I can remember how my mom was so worried about our cousins that lived in Worcester. At first they terrorized farm country. Their little boys were there visiting. One dissipated, but twin funnels headed southeast. Worcester County, In the days leading up to the Worcester Tornado, it was experiencing a heat wave of temperatures over 90 F. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia. The Worcester tornado of 1953 struck without warning and cut a swath of destruction, at times a mile wide, through a half-dozen towns. [citation needed] After brushing Petersham (occasionally with twin funnels several hundred feet apart), the tornado tracked southeastwards and slammed into the rural towns of Barre and Rutland, with two fatalities occurring at each of these locations. Worcester tornado crownbaker 11 subscribers 34K views 13 years ago Kathy Lundstrom's father, Henry Ekberg took this rare color film before and after the Worcester tornado tore up the Burncoat. One remembered that "perfectly sane adults were running around saying the Russians had attacked, or that this was the end of the world.". Thanks for your help! Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. [14] The nearby Burncoat Hill neighborhood saw heavy devastation (especially on its western slope), but it was the Uncatena-Great Brook Valley neighborhoods to the east of Burncoat Hill that were utterly leveled, with the tornado possibly reaching F5 intensity in this area. See also: Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts. At a home game on or around the anniversary of the tornado, the team remembered the victims with a moment of silence before the singing of the national anthem. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. You can always change this later in your Account settings. 1953 Worcester Tornado Worcester Telegram, County Edition, Wed. morning June 10, 1953 This is the issue of the paper the day after the tornado struck Worcester and area. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. A still smaller twister injuredseveral people inFremontandExeterin New Hampshire, and others caused minor damage in Colrain, Mass. based on information from your browser. She spoke of it when I was growing up and in my teen years. "Worcester tornado" redirects here. [5] It then moved through the western suburbs of Worcester, where 11 more people were killed. Two other sons were seriously injured. USA. Entire houses and neighborhoods vanished after the tornado struck Worcester. There are no happy memories. Lots of clothing, home insulation, and lumber. The worst devastation occurred in the newer sections of Worcester and surrounding suburbs. May 11, 2015 Updated: May 11, 2015 6:07 p.m. ** FILE ** Buried automobiles lie under bricks from downtown stores along Franklin Street in . The Worst Tornado in New England History Strikes Worcester, Mass. A film on the Worcester Tornado, June 9, 1953. 1953 Worcester Tornado Victims The memorials in this virtual cemetery are to honor those who died as a result of the tornado that swept through the towns of Petersham, Barre, Rutland, Holden, Worcester, West Boylston, Shrewsbury, and Westborough on Tuesday June 9, 1953. With your support, GBH will continue to innovate, inspire and connect through reporting you value that meets todays moments. Without the Red Cross grant, Andy Karlson said, the family would have been "out in left field without a portfolio, as they say." On Monday, June 8, 1953 an exceptionally violent tornado struck the north side of Flint, Michigan and the northern suburb of Beecher, causing catastrophic damage and hundreds of casualties. The twister picked up a 12-ton bus, carried it airborne for 40 feet, then smashed it into an apartment building. The tornado brought with it hailstones the size of baseballs and rained debris on Boston suburbs. "A huge black funnel with incredible white sky on both sides." The worst tornadohad company in New England that day. This browser does not support getting your location. The June 9, 1953 "Worcester Tornado" killed 94 people and injured more than 1,250. The farthest documented distance of tornado debris was an item that blew from Holden to Eastham on Cape Cod, a distance of 110 miles (180km). His work can be heard regularly on 89.7 and seen on gbhnews.org. There was a look of amazement in her eyes. USA, Post Mills, At 4:25 p.m. it touched down in Petersham near the Quabbin Reservoir and continued to move to Barrie and Rutland, killing two people. For the baseball team, see. It included two tornadoes that caused at least 90 deaths eachan F5 tornado occurring in Flint, Michigan, on June 8 and an F4 tornado in Worcester, Massachusetts, on June 9. Weve updated the security on the site. The most intense damage occurred in a narrow, complex swath of multivortex damage which was generally about 300 yards wide. Worcester County, On June 7, 1953, a strong shortwave trough moved eastward over the Rocky Mountains, bringing with it strong upward motion that induced lee cyclogenesis: the formation of a low-pressure area over eastern Colorado. Please reset your password. It was the worst tornado in New England history, and one of the 25 worst tornadoes in U.S. history. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. The black storm cloud grew to a mile wide by the time it slammed into Worcester. The results proved successful: since June 9, 1953, no single U.S. tornado had killed over 100 people until the Joplin, Missouri tornado of May 22, 2011. She saw some pretty horrible things. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. The tornado injured 600 people, took 114 lives, and damaged hundreds of businesses. kdkb has not added any memorials to this virtual cemetery. The next day, 115 people died in Flint, MI and 90 people died in Worcester, MA. All losses are in 1953 USD unless otherwise noted. Several small children were found under the bodies of dead parents. Congressman James E. Van Zandt (Representative of Pennsylvania) was among several members of Congress who expressed their belief that a June 4 bomb-testing created the tornadoes. The Flint Tornado and Worcester Tornado - June 8-9, 1953 - The last single tornado to kill over 100 people struck the north side of Flint, Mich. 115 were killed and 844 injured. One remembered that "perfectly sane adults were running around saying the Russians had attacked, or that this was the end of the world." Thousands of people became homeless after the storms, resulting in martial law being declared for Worcester. It crushed them in the collapse of the Fayville Post Office. At the Brookside Home Farm, a dairy, six men were killed and the herd of 80 Holstein cows wiped out. Down the street a grown man came running, sobbing as I have never seen a man cry. John O'Toole told the Boston Globe that he believes the choice is "inappropriate because it was a disaster. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. By 4:30 p.m., there were ballgames going on, shops closing up, factory workers heading home. Furthermore, the tornados meteorological explanation was due after the event; many wondered how such a storm was possible in the New England region. This story was updated in 2022. Search above to list available cemeteries. So when at 4:25 p.m. the twister touched down near the Quabbin Reservoirina Petersham forest, no one was prepared. Massachusetts, 84 Minutes, 94 Lives by John M. OToole. I lived on Holden St. Holden. in the 50's. Others tried to contain the fires that had broken out when downed power lines and open gas jets ignited. Someone found a wedding dress in Worcester hanging from a telephone wire in Natick. A helper asked me what to do. "Theres a story of a woman who went to her front door and she said she saw cows floating by. "It was an amazing response.". Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility at GBH, Transparency in Coverage Cost-Sharing Disclosures. The Weather Bureau in Boston announced a high of 103.6. Eddies mother suffered a fractured spine. On Tuesday, Karlson, 95, fulfilled a promise to repay the American Red Cross the $7,500 it gave his family to rebuild after a devastating tornado in 1953. For a slide show of the Worcester tornado, click here. As soon as the winds abated, residents began to organize themselves into rescue teams. As I stood on top of a fire engine making a photograph on the line of helpless subjects, a man and woman tugged at my pant leg that was covered with mud and begged me to answer them. Today, theres almost no evidence that such a devastating storm ever tore through Worcester, except in the memories of those who lived through that harrowing day. Worcester County, William Apess Presents a Different Point of View, E/MS Unit II: Building a New Society: Life in Colonial Massachusetts, Lesson A: The First English Settlements in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Activity 1: Creating Big Maps Showing Early Towns, Lesson B: Religious Intolerance in Seventeenth-Century Massachusetts, Activity 2: High Cost of Following Other Religious Beliefs, Activity 4: How the Puritans Celebrated Christmas, Lesson C: A Young Colony Faces Challenges, Using Mass Moments in Third Grade Classrooms, Leominster Access Television Media Archive and Preservation Center, The Great Worcester Tornado, The 1953 Worcester Tornado in its Time: Panic and Recovery, by Lianne Lajoie. It came to be known as the 1953 Worcester Tornado, part of the Flint-Worcester tornado outbreak sequence, a series of tornado outbreaks that occurred in Worcester and Flint, Michigan from June 6-9, 1953. "All we could hear was this deafening hum. The 1953 Worcester Tornado. [12] The now To use this feature, use a newer browser. You need to be logged in to add comments. Today at QCC, there is a memorial for all those who died on June 9, 1953. The Worcester tornado of 1953 struck without warning and cut a swath of destruction, at times a mile wide, through a half-dozen towns. They often tell stories of how the event changed their lives, and how they are always fearful when there is a tornado warning issued, or even if the sky starts to turn grey. We have set your language to The storm stayed on the ground for nearly 90 minutes, traveling 48 miles across Central Massachusetts. She was married on December 7, 1953 in Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands to Bernardus Cornelis Wortelboer, they had 3 children. when did it close Iworked there 1954 to 1957 Suddenly I came upon two bodies those of a man and a woman. This account has been disabled. [4] In addition to the fatalities, nearly 1,300 people were injured and 4,000 buildings were damaged. A priest and two nuns were killed at Assumption College(nowQuinsigamond Community College). The worst was yet to come. The effects of the tornado in Worcester were strong-felt immediately after the natural disaster, and many years after. Per Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes, an F5 rating could have been given to this event. Please reset your password. There's not one pleasant, light moment . Fifty years later one survivor recalled, "We thought the world was coming to an end. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. The deadly twister belonged to an outbreak of tornadoes over the northern United States for three days, from June 6-9. Ponds were sucked dry. The powerful tornado first touched down in rural Petersham on June 7, 1953 at approximately 4:25 pm. I saw one convertible that was badly damaged but the engine still ran, making at least 15 trips back to Lincoln Street where ambulances and volunteers were making round trips to all the city hospitals. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. It snatched paper in Holden and dropped it inEasthamonCape Cod. NAS. [10] Most news reports only made mentions of possible thunderstorms. If this exact twister happened today in Worcester Global Warming would be blamed. Joe Holley. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. It now stands as the 21st deadliest tornado in the United States. Massachusetts, The tornado damaged the Norton Co., Worcesters largest employer, shattering every window and tearing off the roof. The tornado killed 60 people in Worcester alone and destroyed much of Assumption College. While the powerful F5 twister did only minor damage to the Baylor University campus, it left . If you are a relative of one of these individuals please contact me and I will be honored to transfer the memorial to you. based on information from your browser. As it arrived in Holden, a western suburb of Worcester, the tornado claimed the lives of 11 people. But like is so often the case, in the aftermath of great tragedy, came great acts of humanity. It's like everyone knowing where they were when Kennedy was shot.". Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. The severity of this epic storm remained in dispute for a long period within the meteorological community. The tornado that tore through Waco, Texas, on Monday, May 11, 1953, killed 114 people -- giving it the distinction of being tied for the deadliest tornado to ever hit the Lone Star State, and making it the 11th deadliest tornado in U.S. history. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. They told of []. Your memories of the 1953 Waco tornado. The chaotic aftermath of this deadly storm left an indelible mark upon the Waco community. . The strongest tornado to ever hit New England, devastating Worcester, 61 years ago this week. Storm Prediction Center. The bright red chair and divan were in the correct place, looked like a model house that had been cut away for the buyer to examine. Citizens who had survived the 1953 tornado claimed this one to be much worse. Houses simply vanished and entire blocks of homes leveled. "They still have a hard time talking about it, and its still like yesterday every time theres a bad storm. The reasoning for this was that the anchoring techniques used in many of the destroyed or vanished homes could never now be ascertained with certainty, and some of these structures (many of recent postwar construction) were possibly more vulnerable to high winds than older homes. Fortunately, most employees had finished their shift just hours before. Support GBH. Called "the White Hurricane," the storm Mass Moments is a project of Mass Humanities, whose mission is to support programs that use history, literature, philosophy, and the other humanities disciplines to enhance and improve civic life throughout the Commonwealth. Charlie Gage and other Flint-Beecher area residents were instrumental in the placement of . massive tornado then tore directly through suburban Holden, completely wiping out the Brentwood Estates subdivision, resulting in fatalities. Fifty years later, there are still some physical reminders of the historic twister. The funnel was a full mile wide. People were crushed to death in collapsing triple deckers or lost their homes in the fire afterward. One mother said to me as she looked at the recently constructed buildings "that was all we had.". Assumption College in Worcester was nearly destroyed Boards became missiles There was a second tornado that day in south central Massachusetts. On West Boylston. The memorials in this virtual cemetery are to honor those who died as a result of the tornado that swept through the towns of Petersham, Barre, Rutland, Holden, Worcester, West Boylston, Shrewsbury, and Westborough on Tuesday June 9, 1953. Resend Activation Email. The mass of cold air moved east overnight, dropping temperatures rapidly in New England. After the use of the Fujita scale began, the Flint-Beecher tornado was rated F5. 1953 FlintWorcester tornado outbreak sequence, FlintWorcester tornado outbreak sequence, Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://archive.org/details/tornadoinworcest00wallrich, A Look Back: The Worcester Tornado of 1953, June 7-9, 1953 The Flint Worcester Outbreak, "A Look Back: The Worcester Tornado of 1953", "The Science Behind the Flint-Beecher Tornado: Map Features", Template:Attached KML/1953 Worcester tornado, Video of before the tornado, and damage following it, Video of the tornado in the Southborough area, Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts, "Tri-State" (Missouri, Illinois and Indiana), St. Louis, Missouri/East St. Louis, Illinois, Storm Prediction Center: The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes, SPC Annual U.S. Killer Tornado Statistics, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1953_Worcester_tornado&oldid=1141443562, History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, 1953 natural disasters in the United States, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2013, Articles needing additional references from June 2021, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. 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