Deadliest Tornado in Ohio History: The Lorain Tornado of 1924

[@julianjackson3953]

Great video. My grandmother was Margaret Richards, the girl at 9:01 who was the sole survivor of her family who hid under the piano (small detail- she was 13 at the time, not 8). We’ve had to piece together the story because she would never speak of it.

[@mw4mpr]

My grandmother told me of this tornado. She was 10 years old, and was on the beach at Linwood Park in Vermillion. She described a black cloud lowering to the west, moving across the lake, then turned inland.

[@PattyJohnson-mp9em]

My great grandparents died in the bath house. My great grandfather was trying to protect my grandmother and someone’s child. They all passed away their names were Catherine & Joseph Blinzley

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Oh Patty I am so sorry to hear this.

[@Simpleman88]

Sorry

[@SecretsintheCemetery]

The juxtaposition of the damaged homes from 100 yrs ago to today was truly fascinating! Great video, well done my friend!

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you!

[@DoloresJNurss]

You really made that come to life, especially with the new and old photos melting into each other.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you Dolores! 😊

[@walterruth8625]

@@CuriousHistoryYT❤❤🎉❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ lm

[@takkmoran9770]

Great video! Tornadoes are such a source of both fear and fascination.

[@jparker59able]

I'm not sure how I've missed your channel but glad it showed up on my feed. I appreciate the before and after photos. They complete the story so much better.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you for watching Jackie! 😊

[@Tubinado]

This was great. Very interesting. Thank you for putting this together. My grandma lived on Oberlin Ave. and told me she was upstairs in her room when it hit and saw chicken coups flying around.

[@randywhite3958]

Fantastic job guys. I was honored to be a part of it , to see what goes into the making of these videos. Thanks again for putting up with me.😊

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

The pleasure was all ours Randy! 😊

[@Knight-of-Sarcasm]

The sorrow and shear nature of this storm makes me awe struck. I've been respectful of tornadoes but this brings it home.

[@stormchaseradambenner9518]

The behavior of the tornado that you describe is almost certainly what is called a multiple vortex tornado. Basically several small but very intense tornadoes rotate around each other within a wider circulation.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Awesome! Thanks for the info Adam!

[@waynebarnett7467]

Thank you for posting these wonderful videos. I had never heard about this tornado , such devastation. BTW. Today it was 39 years ago May 31 1985 that the devastating tornadoes tore up eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. I’ll never forget that day. I was 19 years old, and had never seen such destruction. Mother nature’s rampage.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you for watching Wayne!

[@twilightzone-ex-hostage1997]

I am born and raised in Lorain County, thank you for this piece of history!

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching!

[@KimMontes-rv9jo]

My Great grandparents Joseph and Catherine Blinzley died in the bathhouse the were the owners and managers of the bathhouse! Joseph was 53 and Catherine was 51 yrs old! May you rest in peace great grandma and great grandpa Blinzley!

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Hi Kim. So sorry to hear this. You are actually the second person to post about Joseph and Catherine. Patty Johnson posted this as well. I’m assuming you know her but just in case you don’t, you may want to scroll through the comments and touch base with her.

[@ScottVargovich]

I've heard a lot about the tornado that hit Xenia (on the east side of Dayton where 675 and State Rte 68 intersect), but have heard nothing about this one. I'm a Skywarn Weather Spotter and a licensed Amateur Radio operator, so I have a grasp of what damage the different EF Scale tornadoes can do. This one surprised me.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

I was surprised as well Scott. Thank you so much for watching!

[@DEE-o4v]

Xenia is magnet for tornados for some reason...

[@taylorbridgman3127]

On the day of the Xenia tornado I was on my way to a doctor's appointment with my mom who was pregnant with me. This was London ohio. The tornado took the top of the courthouse off and landed it in some old ladies backyard.

[@rosesitzenstock1315]

Thanks for sharing this part of history in Lorain Ohio. I lived through the 1957 tornadoe. There was much devastation.

[@jkennaw4314]

If you're talking about the tornado that went through Lorain then out over the lake, that was 1953. The only other major tornado (F4) in 1957 in Ohio was near Wooster.

[@rosesitzenstock1315]

The one in 1957. I am talking about. We had a school field trip planned. Because of so much distruction. The school thought it best to take the kids on the field trip. We went to Geauga lake.

[@1151955jeff]

@@jkennaw4314 also in 1953, an f4 tornado tore through the west side of cleveland and narrowly missed the downtown area. thats another ohio tornado not many know of.

[@sandyglaus559]

Just found your channel tonight. Very interesting video. I am terrified of tornadoes but they amaze me and I love watching stories about them. In fact, the town I live in got hit by an EF3 tornado May 26, 2024. Just a little over a week ago. It passed just 3 blocks from my house. We were so blessed the only damage we had was a few tree limbs down. Five blocks west and three blocks north of us was not as lucky. Also, I love horror and paranormal. Your channel has a lot of interesting videos I am excited to binge watch.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you Sandy! I’m glad your house was spared.

[@RedDeckRedemption]

Take note how superior house construction was then as opposed to now. Houses lifted off foundations yet able to be put back and repaired, the whole garage rolling down the street, and many still keep their house shape..from an F4-5, now an f2 completly disintegrates these plastic coated toothpicks

[@kcamera4975]

My uncle was a kid and a few blocks from home when the storm hit. The story goes that complete strangers took him inside their home to ride out the storm. Probably saved his life or at the very least kept him from getting hurt.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Awesome!

[@amydavis4945]

What a fantastic documentary! It was especially moving to see the pictures of the ravaged buildings, and then pictures of them rebuilt/renovated almost exactly how they had looked before. So many times in these types of documentaries, you see all the destruction and it kind of leaves a hole in your heart. But your effort into showing the healing and regrowth filled in that hole. I hope that makes sense. It was very poignant as well to have some of the survivors stories narrated. Thank you so much for the time and professionalism you put into this documentary. You have a new subscriber, and I look forward to perusing your channel.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Bless you Amy! Thank you so much!

[@KellyBoyerSagert]

My parents bought the rebuilt home on Fifth Street highlighted here from the family who had owned it during the tornado, and it's where I grew up. We've connected with the family of the girl who survived the tornado by staying upstairs.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Awesome! Incredible info! Thanks for sharing this Kelly! Did they share any of her recollections from that day?

[@KellyBoyerSagert]

@@CuriousHistoryYT Family members of that child are supposed to meet us on June 28 for the ceremony, so I'm sure we'll talk! What I remember: the girl, who was now sadly an orphan, went to live out west somewhere with her aunt and uncle and didn't talk about that day although I'm remembering that she had been reading and unaware of how much the winds were building up. When my dad tore down the garage that was built in 1924 when the house was being rebuilt to build a new garage, he found out that broken dishes and more had been swept into the foundation before the garage was built. Richard Van Deusen had told him that the wood that could be salvaged from the destroyed house was used to build that garage.

[@KellyBoyerSagert]

Hope that makes sense about the garage!

[@KellyBoyerSagert]

@@CuriousHistoryYT Plus, somewhere, my mom has a picture where much of the house landed on top of the house directly to the east of it. It destroyed that home's turret, which was never rebuilt (the turret). As a human interest story, about six years ago, one of the girl's daughters came to Ohio and decided to stop at the house, not expecting the owners to know anything about the tornado--but my sister now lives in that house. So, we all talked for quite a while. Then, during the pandemic, I saw someone outdoors looking at my sister's house, so I went out to see what she needed. Ends up that she also is part of that family--but they never knew what happened to the daughters of that little girl. By now, we'd met both of them, so we introduced them on Facebook!

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

@KellyBoyerSagert love it! Thanks again for sharing this. I love it when history can be drilled down to a personal level like this!

[@jkennaw4314]

The 1953 Westside tornado tracked within less than a quarter mile of where I live now outside of Lorain. I always think about that everytime I hear the sirens go off during a storm. One of these days...

[@timothystevenhoward]

those house grinded to pulp we now can assume were hit by multiple vortices around the main circulation. they are like razor blades or giant drill bits pulverizing anything in its path.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Awesome info! Thanks Timothy!

[@FlashintheBand86]

Great video. I remember my neighbor talking about it when I was growing up. She was on Broadway when it hit.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

I can only imagine how she felt when it hit!

[@rah2209]

Check out the tornado that hit Xenia, Ohio in or around April 1973/4. It was part of an outbreak and almost wiped out the entire city.

[@Liz-cmc313]

Terrific video. Love before and after photos. The story of the girl surviving hiding next to a piano is mind blowing while people in the basement died.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Bless you Liz! Great to hear from you as always! ❤️

[@julianjackson3953]

That was my grandmother. I’m only here because of that piano!

[@jasonhammond4640]

😮 Wow, that was a monster. There was a local tornado that hit Duncan Falls, Ohio. One of the stories I heard so often from the people that was there was the fickleness of the tornado. One house had a wall blown out and a round bail dropped into the living room while the dining room right next to it still had the china tea service left untouched on the table.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Great info Jason! Thanks!

[@bronwentillman8385]

I remember this! My great-grandmother had been buried in the cemetery not long before. Her headstone had just been placed. The tornado not only knocked over her headstone, but a tree in front of the house in front of the cemetery was completely uprooted and landed on the house. I live in Morgan County.

[@elle_lovesgizmo]

I live west of Lorain & Sandusky. I've lived in Ohio my entire life. I had no idea about these tornadoes. Thanks for this notable history video.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you for watching!

[@michaelastandley8531]

Hello guys Great podcast as usual. I have not tuned in for a while but I will purely enjoy playing catch up. Have a great day from Derbyshire, England.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Have a great weekend Michaela!

[@anarchistatheist1917]

According to the website find a grave, 2 year old Wilber Van Deusen his maternal Uncle, Ray Schuyler Richards, his Aunt Grace Lois Brown Capell Richards, and his cousins Lois Grace Richards, and Leonard Ray Richards died from injuries caused by the lorain ohio tornado. So It's reasonable to assume that the Richards sole surviving daughter was Margaret Alice Richards and that she was raised by her paternal aunt Margaret Caroline Richards Van Deusen, and uncle Clarence E Van Deusen who raised her along with her cousin the Van Deusen's son Richard Karl Van Deusen.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Awesome sleuth work! Thanks for this!

[@julianjackson3953]

Margaret Richards was my Grandmother, and she is the girl mentioned in the Van Deusen story. Unfortunately, she lost touch with the Van Deusens (whose descendants I just met this weekend at the 100th anniversary commemoration) and was raised by another Aunt. She was so traumatized by the events, she never spoke of it.

[@gablars20]

Excellent program. Thank you for sharing this!

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thanks you for watching!

[@nancygrabowski64]

Thanks for covering. As always, find you interesting to listen to.

[@donnawoepke8861]

Excellent video. Thank you for covering this story.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

My pleasure Donna! Thank YOU for watching!

[@dancingtrout6719]

im East of Cleveland i heard about this on the Radio this morning...Severe ... lifting Whole Houses people crushed & Buried it must have Been terrifying the noise the vibration the viciousness un equal. glad the theater was over for a while.. they said kids had too ride their bikes to inform about what just happened omg

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Such a turning point event for the people who lived it. Thank you for watching!

[@br4524]

I was in a tornado at my home in the early 90s. My husband and I had just got back from town. The house screamed I'll never forget that scream. But by God's grace it was saved. The storm was an f0 to f1. A lot of trees down shingles cracked glass debris. 7 of our dogs were outside but they were safe although mentally they were never the same.

[@walkercustoms]

Excellent presentation, thank you.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you for watching!

[@earlymorningtwilight9119]

Great video. I love information on obscure tornadoes.

[@TessaRucker]

Love the editing on this video! Great job!

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you Tessa! 😊

[@janetb8867]

Just finished watching this. Fascinating history & especially enjoyed the then & now picture comparisons. Great job!

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you Janet!

[@springrain9438]

Very cool channel you got going here.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you!

[@Maplelust]

awesome video. I used to go-to lorain every year, wish I'd seen this sooner! can't wait to tell my lorain friends about this.

[@lisad476]

Thank you as always..wonderful wonderful. What a totally horrific thing to happen

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you again for watching Lisa!

[@Tsquadz]

Wonderful Video. I can't speak for all of us North Coasters.. But I think we often take it for granted that we live right on the lake. Typically it seems to act as a sort of buffer for Severe Thunderstorms. See a lot of Tornadoes inland to the south of the Greater Cleveland Area. Good Reminder that there is no rhyme or reason and sometimes Mother Nature is just gonna do what she wants.

[@springrain9438]

I hear you.. I've pondered the same thing, taking a little comfort living on the other side of Lake Erie, that there just isn't a lot of documented tornados on or near the Great Lakes but you're right. Seems to not be much rhyme or reason, other then the frequency of them occurring in "tornado Alley".

[@luv2luv720]

I enjoyed hearing about that nugget of history! Thanks. I hadn't heard of this tornado.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

My pleasure! Thank YOU for watching!

[@VintageCarHistory]

...And I have to drive to Lorain in an hour... Forboding.

[@leotresca1822]

Really enjoyed this video!! Thanks!!

[@mskat1954]

Was in the May 31, 1985 F5 tornado, Niles, Ohio. Recall the Xenia twister

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Glad you made it Kathryn! Must have been horrifying!

[@faegrrrl]

This was a fantastic historical real life story. I'm from Ohio and do some work for an online weather page so this really caught my eye. You do so wonderfully with your narration, photos, facts. Everything flows perfectly. Thank you.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you! 😊

[@chelsiehazenstab2200]

I’d love more info on the 1985 tornado outbreak. I’ve heard lots of family stories.

[@paulcarpenter7844]

Just type it in there's a lot of people that cover tornadoes is a girl named Carly Anna or something swegel studio and weatherbox I could be butchering some of these names though

[@Curly34584]

Nice Video👍❤️

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you! 😊

[@davidblackwell5219]

this is david and janette from tasmania we just watched the film you done on lorain austrailia had some thing similar hapend in dawin at christmas time 1974 and 74 people died its a wonder they didnt loose any more becouse it nely wiped dawin of the map of austrailia we lov e hystory and you should be happy shareing the things were you live it helps bring people together as a who comunity becous lets face it some people take thing for granted like wakeing up and going to bed in tasmania we had the 1967 bush fires that burned from one end of tasmania to the other end people lost ther lives homes and farms not to mention all the animals we had the hobart bridge disaster in 1975 but we keep going that who we are like you people were fighters we keep going like you guys proud of who you are and your great country thank you🙏♥🌹god bless

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you both for this wonderful comment! I really love how KZbin can connect people from so far away! I hope you both have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

[@springrain9438]

Spectacular read!

[@CharlesOday-o3s]

This was very educational I learned a lot

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you for watching Charles!

[@jasoneddy9111]

I enjoyed this. Thank you.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thanks for watching Jason!

[@paulcarpenter7844]

It sounds like it would hit the water like a water spout but people didn't think it would it land which would turn into a tornado Ohio gets a lot of tornadoes especially that bad one in Xenia

[@dtdimeflicks6708]

I grew up along the Erie shoreline. Tornadoes are a lot more common there than people would guess. I can recall one almost hitting the Davis Besse plant when I was a kid and I can also remember watching a water spout when I worked at a steakhouse that overlooked the lake. It's just the way life is there.

[@sapper8288]

My hometown! I always heard the stories from my grandparents and friends grandparents!

[@challenger7424]

Brilliantly done! Thank you for all the hard work put into this video. Very informative. ❤

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank YOU for watching! I really appreciate it!

[@WanderingRoe]

Thank you for sharing this video, like many others I hadn’t heard of this tornado before. When it comes to violent Ohio tornadoes, Xenia always takes center stage, but it’s important to remember the others that have occurred, as well as the people who experienced it.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@purplediamond4319]

One of my ancestors survived a Tornado that spawned from this cell that struck Castalia Ohio. He tragically lost his wife and his 3 children were injured badly. After this he built a storm shelter in his house and was very aware of the weather, constantly.

[@Super_Canadian]

Do you think this tornado doesn’t really get much mention due to the Tri-state tornado of ‘25?

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Certainly could be. Also the F5 Xenia tornado tends to catch the most eyes in Ohio, although Ohio has experienced four F5 tornado’s since 1950.

[@brandyjean7015]

I was today's year old, when I learned that folks call tornados the finger of God.

[@Knight-of-Sarcasm]

I remember in the 3rd grade a science teacher telling us that nickname and that it came from settlers west of the Mississippi because of the nature of the storms. One of the things that confused the townsfolk the most is why the saloons remained standing and the churches did not. The reason is all because of air pressure and the churches being shut up tight during the week while saloons usually had wide open doors and windows.

[@terryboldenjr.3555]

I heard that before and I have heard also that Angels be in them.

[@debrawarner5380]

Oh wow I used to live in Ohio Ashtabula Ohio not too far from Cleveland❤❤❤❤

[@idetectH2O]

Excellent documentary. Do you have any info on the July 4th 1969 Lakewood tornado? We were at Lakewood park waiting for it to get dark for the fireworks…I was 9 and my brother was 10. The sky turned an odd shade of green and got very still. My mom wanted to leave, but there wasn’t time. We took shelter inside the screened in pavilion which was packed tight with people. I don’t remember being scared. Enormous 100 year old oaks were uprooted everywhere. By the grace of God none of those trees fell on the pavilion. We went back down there a day or so later with Dad to take pictures of the damage. I still have those pics all these years later.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thanks for watching and for the kind words. I really appreciate it. I haven’t looked into the Lakewood Tornado yet. Will have a look sometime in 2025. Thanks again!

[@paulcarpenter7844]

It's crazy cuz no one is around to tell that story no more even if they were a baby 100 years ago crazy 😧

[@dalebechtel8904]

Great video. Thanks

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thanks you Ace!

[@charlesperez9976]

At.Mary’s. I was baptized in that church,in 1970,knowing not,the nightmare that happened so many years ago.

[@MeMyselfAndUs903]

0:19 Do you suppose it was a water spout that transferred to land as a tornado?

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Entirely possible!

[@jacksonyon5276]

Almost 100 years old. Is there anyone alive who remembers seeing or hearing about the tornado? Probably not

[@wlt16]

My home City.

[@billj1836]

That tornado was more deadly than the Ohio National Guard.

[@michaelruiz6530]

3 weeks and a day from now will mark 100 years of this event.

[@matthewross3998]

Crazy how things change and sad at the same time looks like the houses were built to withstand tornados back the damage I’ve seen aren’t that bad I’m sure people died but still the houses were mostly intact now days everything obliterates and is flattened to the ground

[@joerichards1253]

I live in Sandusky. My great grandma lived through that tornado.

[@disastertom]

My Grandmother was to go on a date to the State Theater that evening. My Great-Grandmother told her that the weather was looking bad and would not let her go.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thanks heavens for that!

[@THYUNTOUCHyt]

Wow first the amherst train wreck and now the defining moment in history of my home town this is awesome someone is finally making a documentary about the tornado

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!

[@godzillagl01]

Loved the commentary very well told only thing it be EF 4 but all good very well done👌

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

I agree it’s an EF4. But this tornado occurred before the Enhanced Fujita scale was adopted. I wanted to stay true to the era. Thanks for watching!

[@realworld2494]

100 years later

[@davidschristmasgiftstoyou3304]

That flashback is 100 years old.

[@bridgetriley8239]

Born and raised in Lorain county, Ohio

[@johnjones9642]

Dirty lake Erie water!!

[@Jdin74]

Crazy! I used to live on W Erie and Archwood near the path!

[@williamfowler8439]

What year was the Ceder Point amusement Park built

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Around 1870. Although not even close to what we know it as today.

[@stevenalaniz7168]

They had no warnings back then. No technology, Absolutely. Nothing.

[@joycebrackbill-henderly8311]

I hate tornadoes! 😢

[@jackfishcampbell6745]

Good video , but the finger of God brought laughter to both of us 😂 .

[@mercymonroe83]

This is eerie considering the storms this area JUST had this month, 100 years later. So many people are without power, but no fatalities that I am aware of. If I am wrong on that, please let me know! 🙏🏻💜🤲🏻

[@janebenning8218]

Thankyou so much my dear friend. I got the book reading it sad it happened in Ohio but enjoy reading it. I have haunted Marietta. May I recommend that book to you? If you didn't already have it. 💋💋💜💜🐶stay safe and huge hugs my dear friend.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you Jane! Yes I do have haunted Marietta! Such a fun read. Three videos from that town coming this year! 😊

[@syntheticfuture1718]

Have you noticed a pattern of "Analog City's" In Bolivar, Hanoverton, Medina and streets with addresseliberatly meant to confuse you near Lost Nation Rd Painesvilles de

[@DEE-o4v]

Luckily, my grandmother survived that thing....she was only about 12 to 15 years old at the time I believe.. Sadly, she passed in 1978....and she was only 66 years old I think. I still miss her to this day. If you go to cemeteries in Lorain...and look down at certain old graves....you'll see people who passed that day. Interestingly, I was born on June 28th, 1964.....40 years later...

[@JeffreyMosby-v5z]

I lived all over Lorain

[@mysticakhenaton1701]

the only secret is the history you don't know...President Harry Truman.

[@greggbaker7120]

Hi. John.

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Hi Gregg! Hope all is well with you!

[@ericascali5427]

😢😢😢

[@chriscadillac8448]

That's not the Finger of God. It's the finger of satan.

[@jeremylonberger8245]

How often can you say you stood where a tornado touched down? Uhh everytime after one touches down. Acting like the tornado was the only tornado in history. Lol

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

Thank you for watching and commenting

[@dancingtrout6719]

Some times Nature Can Be a Real M M ... Mean Mother

[@Redbelly357]

If this happened today the clowns would be screaming "Climate Change"

[@wadewilson8011]

If you think this F4 tornado was the, "finger of god (misquoted from Twister, it was F5)." Then the 1997 Jarrell, TX F5 tornado must have been the FIST Of God!.

[@SMCwasTaken]

Ofc its ohio

[@darlenewood8910]

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😮

[@CuriousHistoryYT]

😊❤️😊❤️😊❤️😊❤️