Mapping the recovery from the 1949 tornado

At 6:56 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, 1949, Cape Girardeau was struck by a tornado.

Here are some statistics that demonstrate the destruction inflicted on this community of about 21,500:

• 22 persons killed;
• 72 persons treated at local hospitals;
• Hundreds injured who didn't seek aid at a hospital;
• 202 houses leveled;
• 231 other houses damaged;
• 19 businesses destroyed;
• 14 other businesses damaged.

The monetary loss was estimated at between $3 and $4 million.

A 40th anniversary article, published May 21, 1989, described the twister's journey through Cape Girardeau: "The twister cut a path from Gordonville Road to the Mississippi River, just south of Cape Rock. It didn't lift from the ground, but rather seemed to gain momentum as it crashed through the city. Particularly hard hit were the Marble City Heights and Red Star subdivisions.

"Just six minutes after the funnel cloud formed, the rain diminished and all was quiet. People emerged to find devastation. There was no power, no water."

In the weeks that followed the storm, the Missourian sent its reporters out to track the path of the tornado to talk to those whose homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged, and to learn from them what their plans were for the future. The result was a 12-part series enumerating the reporters' findings. The first installment was published in last week's blog. What follows here are excerpts from the other 11 articles.

Repairs and rebuilding began quickly after the May 21, 1949, tornado. The exact location and date this photograph was taken aren't known. (G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

June 10, 1949:

M.E. Leming Jr. said that plans are indefinite as to the type of structure, but that a new building will be erected on the site of the former fruit packing shed off Highway 61 at the Missouri Pacific Railroad spur which was demolished in the storm. The old building had been used as a warehouse for a line of spray materials for the past two years, with another part of it used by the Marty Marion Distributing Co. Mr. Leming said he does not know what Marion, the St. Louis Cardinals' shortstop, plans to do about rebuilding his business.

Friends here said they understand Mrs. J.T. Cherry, whose home on Caruthers Avenue just off Broadway was demolished, will make her home with a son, Paul Cherry, in Wichita, Kansas. She returned with him shortly after the storm when he came here to care for business matters connected with his loss. It is not planned, they said, to rebuild the residence. The nearby home of another son, Capt. Colby Cherry, 1836 Broadway, is undergoing extensive repairs after storm damage. New brick is being laid, a partial roof is going on and much work is being done inside, where upper walls on the east and west were bulged out. New plaster must be placed upstairs and refinished downstairs. Mr. and Mrs. Francis J. McDonough, who resided in the house, are staying temporarily with Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Clark, 22 S. Hanover St., until they can obtain an apartment or small residence. Mr. and Mrs. Harold E. Hughes, who resided downstairs in the residence owned by Mrs. Cherry, are living in an apartment at 818 Jefferson Ave.

The D.F. Slinkard family, of 807 Perry, has shown ingenuity in making the best of their inconvenience. They have rebuilt a concrete block garage in which they were living before the storm while a permanent dwelling was being constructed and plan to live in it now until their house is finished this fall. Rather than buy extra furniture for their temporary house, the Slinkards have pressed concrete blocks into service as "Hollywood bed" supports and are using Turkish towels for curtains and bed sheets for drapes.

Mr. and Mrs. M.G. Lorberg Jr., whose home at 810 Missouri was demolished, plan to rebuild completely from new foundation up on a different site on the same lot. Mr. Lorberg said the dwelling would not follow the plans of the destroyed structure and would be located south of the previous home. He hopes construction can begin in a few weeks. In the meantime the Lorbergs were living in an apartment at 215 N. Ellis.

All repair work has been completed on the Edward Lottes home, 1414 Dunklin, except for new doors and windows. The Lottes family plans to redecorate the whole interior of the house, after the major repairs. They have been living in the house since the storm.

Prof. Earl A. Collins is living in his study, which was only slightly damaged, while his 1304 Dunklin home is rebuilt. A wall which was blown out has been repaired and main work left now is construction of a side porch, plastering and redecorating the interior.

Work on the roof is in the process of being completed at the S.P. Neal residence, 1300 Dunklin. The family has maintained occupancy in the dwelling in spite of extensive damage. After the roof is finished, the interior will be re-plastered and redecorated. Gerhardt Construction Co. is doing the work.

Mr. and Mrs. C.W. Howenstein, 1212 Dunklin, have set up living quarters in the basement of their home during the rebuilding period. The roof is on the home and it is almost ready for re-plastering. Mr. Howenstein is doing much of the work himself readying the house for plasterers. The structure will be redone just as it was before.

June 11, 1949:

A temporary roof is still on the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Wimp, 808 N. Park Ave., and the windows are not yet in but repair work is expected to start in earnest immediately. The Wimp family has been able to live in one room. The entire interior of the house will be redecorated.

William Kuss, 812 N. Park, has decided to sell his property rather than attempt the repair job. He is living in the house at present but has several prospective buyers and he expects to sell and move to Indiana.

The residence of Mr. and Mrs. Rush H. Limbaugh at 814 N. Henderson Ave. bore mute evidence of the destructiveness of the 1949 tornado. The top section was blown away and the interior ruined. Mr. and Mrs. Limbaugh were away at the time of the storm, attending the wedding of their son, Rush Jr., at Kennett. They didn't know of tornado until they reached home an hour after it passed. (G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

Rebuilding of the Rush H. Limbaugh dwelling at 814 N. Henderson is expected to start at once. The two-story brick house will be rebuilt just as it was before. During the reconstruction period, Mr. and Mrs. Rush Limbaugh are residing with their son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Rush Limbaugh Jr., 1405a Broadway. Stephen Limbaugh is staying with an aunt, Miss Myrtle Seabaugh, 717 N. Henderson.

Thomas Retherford, as spokesman for Mrs. L.R. Johnson, said the Johnson home at 730 N. Henderson will be razed and at least for the time being there will be no plans for erecting another structure on the property. The Lloyd Reynolds family, which (was) living in the house, is occupying rented rooms in the 600 block of Independence Street.

Richard Pack has erected a wood and tarpaulin shelter over the ruins of his 1134 N. Fountain house and will live in the basement until he is able to rebuild. He and Mrs. Pack were injured.

June 13, 1949:

Even part of the foundation was torn up by the storm at the Ray Williams residence, 801 N. Henderson Ave. It is being repaired, debris has been removed, and Mr. Williams plans to rebuild on the corner location. The work will start soon, with the expectation that the family can move in within six weeks to two months. Mrs. Williams and small daughter, Ann Vanice, are in Memphis, Tennessee, with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur R. Patterson. Mr. Williams, laboratory technician at Southeast Missouri Hospital, has taken a room nearby at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Arvel Limbaugh, 1615 Lacy St.

A finished basement, used before as a playroom, will be the home of Mr. and Mrs. A.A. Bollack, 811 N. Henderson Ave., in about a week. The basement was the only thing left after the tornado cut through their house and bore no damage. It has been roofed over, the covering atop the floor boards of the first floor and is now being readied for occupancy. Mrs. Bollack has her electric stove in one of the three rooms, plans to put up cabinets and prepare the place for a kitchen. A bath is already installed in another room and the playroom portion, with plastered walls, will serve as bedroom and living room. Mr. and Mrs. Bollack, now residing at the Idan-Ha Hotel, are undecided about rebuilding.

Clarence Shirrell is doing the reconstruction work on the home of his father, the Rev. J.H. Shirrell, 1113 N. Middle St. The new residence had to start from the foundation when the former one was blown completely away. All but finishing work has been completed, and the Shirrell family hopes to move in the latter part of the week.

The First Church of God at Middle and Emerald streets. (G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

The granite (Church of God) building, toppled like a house of straw as it was caught in the direct path, will be rebuilt as soon as possible. Services are now being held in the unfinished residence of the pastor. The Rev. Shirrell said that $13,000 insurance was carried on the building, including furnishings. It is planned to start removing debris as soon as possible and start reconstruction exactly as the building was before. But, the Rev. Shirrell said, only the basement will be finished first so services can be held there. He explained that with so much home construction to be done in the city, the congregation will wait until builders have more time to get to the upper part of the church.

Mr. and Mrs. Collie Shirrell, 1100 N. Middle St., whose home was one of the many in that neighborhood which was obliterated, hopes to rebuild on the old site. Until definite plans are made, they are living with their son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Truman Waldrup, at 7 N. Park Ave.

June 14, 1949:

Repairs on the extensively damaged property of the Rev. and Mrs. M.A. Garrison, 1206 Chestnut St., have been made. A new roof has been placed, new windows and screens have been installed, new wallpaper has been put up and much interior work done. Furniture, which was badly damaged, is now being repaired.

At the adjacent Third Street Methodist Church, where the Rev. Garrison is pastor, new siding has been put on two sides of the building and a new roof has been placed on one side and repairs made on the other. Floors were re-sanded Monday to complete the work. Pews were refinished and other work done.

Services will be conducted in Red Star Baptist Church tabernacle within three weeks, for the first time since the May 21 tornado ripped the roof from the one-story building, blew out window panes and damaged the interior. Services are now being held in the nearby Education Building.

Workmen are rebuilding the roof and rewiring the upper part of the building. Other workmen are engaged in the interior putting on ceiling and wall celotex. Most windows have been replaced.

The Education Building, which had numerous window panes blown out and damage to the roof and interior, and the tabernacle building were not the only pieces of church property hit by the storm. At the rear of the Education Building and tabernacle, the residence of the custodian had the roof ripped off and windows punched out. The custodian, Charles Rowe, and Mrs. Rowe, reside there.

The pastor, the Rev. J.B. Ragsdale, said homes of a third of the membership of the church were affected by the storm.

June 15, 1949:

Work has not begun on the Lyman Marlen residence at 1461 N. Main St., but when it does the house will have to have a new roof, new siding, 22 window panes and much work on the interior. The family has been able to maintain residence in the structure.

Work has started for enlarging of the foundation of the Anton Schaaf home at 1452 N. Main St., preparatory to starting actual construction. The new home will be of a different design and larger than the one which was destroyed May 21. The job is being handled by the McKinley Co. of Sikeston. Mr. and Mrs. Schaaf are now living at 927 Jefferson Ave.

June 16, 1949:

A frame residence, under construction by the Rev. E.D. Winstead, was just being completed on Fourth Street when the tornado struck. It was lifted and deposited crosswise on its foundation, part of it out in an alley. Repair work has not yet started.

The brick coping and roof of the J.C. Cole store, 1231 N. Main St., have been repaired, but some major structural damage must be remedied. The force of the wind shifted a steel I-beam at the front of the store and in doing so cracked the brick front on each side. These bricks will be torn out and new ones laid. Some windows remain to be put in at the front.

Four walls of the E.F. Hoffman dwelling, 1447 N. Main St., were left standing after the wind. All but one was saved, and the house is now being completely remodeled under a new plan of construction. All interior work must be redone. The roof is on, but the remainder of the work will take about three more weeks. W.C. O'Donnell Jr. is the contractor for the work, which will give the residence five rooms and a bath instead of its previous four rooms and a bath. Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman are staying with Mrs. Hoffman's brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Rethor Macke, 1500 Bend Road.

This map published May 21, 1989, shows the path of the 1949 tornado, as well as the locations of those who perished in the storm. (Southeast Missourian archive)

June 17, 1949:

Extensive damage to the back porch and kitchen was inflicted at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Burris, 1530 N. Main St., when a giant hackberry tree, situated at the north side of the dwelling, was blown against the house. Re-construction work has not begun, but according to a son, Jack Jr., the workers may begin repairs after a few days.

Twenty-two panes of window glass, replacing those shattered in the storm at the brick residence of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Neighbours, 1541 N. Main St., have been installed, but most of the other repairs still lie ahead. Roofing must be patched where flying timbers punched holes and the back porch needs repairs. Two bedrooms will have to be completely redecorated and other damage corrected.

Mr. and Mrs. Ellis Whittaker, 1534 N. Water St., their home demolished, are residing with Mr. and Mrs. Charles Steele, Bend Road, while their residence is being rebuilt. Even the concrete block foundation was carried away in the storm. Now a new house has sprung up on the site with Whittaker and Schilling doing the work. The siding is on and the roof is being placed preparatory to inside construction on the four-room dwelling.

June 18, 1949:

Stark foundations and little else peer upward in the 1400 block of North Water Street, and on these, up to the present, no construction work has been started. In a few instances, on these dwellings, residents have started the rebuilding process. The Henry Graff family, 1468 N. Water St., is at 825 N. Spanish St. Mr. and Mrs. Grover Curry, 1460 N. Water St., are at 840 College St. Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Hunt, 1467 N. Water, are at 1546 N. Main St. Mr. and Mrs. T.E. Alford lived at 1455 N. Water St. Mr. and Mrs. Emory Walton, 1457 N. Water St., are residing on Rand Street. In all of these cases construction must start with the foundation.

The residence of Gail Collins, 1448 N. Water St., was moved off its foundation and set crosswise on the concrete basement walls. Work has not yet started, but neighbors said they understand he plans to rebuild on a modern plan.

Mr. and Mrs. L.V. Hampton, 1453 Rand St., whose house was probably the first rebuilt after the tornado struck, are settled in the new dwelling. It was completed slightly more than a week after the storm left only a few foundation stones as a sign there had been a house at the address. The only job still remaining is exterior painting Part of this has been done.

The basement of the Charles Walton home, 1500 Hill St., has been roofed over, and he is staying there with his son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Green Waldrop, and daughter, Velda Dean, and his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Emory Walton. He plans to rebuild. Mr. and Mrs. Walton, whose nearby home was destroyed, are clearing debris away and plan to rebuild. Mr. and Mrs. Emory Walton lost their house on Water Street -- a new one, just completed -- but plan to rebuild.

June 20, 1949:

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Sands lived with friends for about a week after their home was demolished, but now have put a roof on their basement at 1454 Rand and have moved into it until they can rebuild. They hope to start this within a month or so. Mrs. Sands is still wearing a cast on her arm which was broken in the storm.

Most of the 1500 block of Rand Street is merely a field strewn with debris. It is impossible to tell just where the houses formerly were. Neighbors were uncertain of the plans of those who lost homes in this block.

Work has not yet begun on the home of City Commissioner Louis Brune, which was almost a total loss at 1453 N. Water St. The Brunes are living at the E.A. Polack residence at 326 N. Middle St., and plan to start rebuilding in the near future.

June 21, 1949:

Mr. and Mrs. Roy Moore are building a three-room home at the site of the demolished residence at 301 Roberts. The structure, for which the foundation has been dug, will have an open rear porch which will later be made into an additional room. The Moores are living at the home of Walter Riehn, 1227 S. Benton St.

With just a small amount of painting to be done on the exterior, the residence of Mrs. Ruth Schumacher, 1500 N. Main St., is rejuvenated. An entire new roof, new chimney, new front porch, and doors and windows have been finished and the interior has been redone. D.T. Sample did the work. Mrs. Schumacher was able to live in the home without interruption.

The four-room frame dwelling at 514 Fourth St., owned by Rudy Kirchhoff and occupied by Lonnie Merritt, which was completely demolished, will not be rebuilt by Mr. Kirchhoff. He sold the lot to Norman Slinkard, who lived at 1302 Bend Road, and whose dwelling was also destroyed. The Merritts have secured an apartment at 314 Broadway.

Mr. and Mrs. Gene Huckstep, whose residence at rear 1312 Bend Road was blown away, with all its contents, are living temporarily with Mrs. Huckstep's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Cletus Hargis, Route 1. The five-room house was owned by Clifton Norvell. Mr. Norvell said a dwelling will be constructed on the site of the other very soon.

June 22, 1949:

John Gleason is staying at a rooming house at Broadway and North Main Street, and Mrs. Gleason and son, Jack, are in Chicago with her parents, pending securing a permanent residence. Their dwelling at 1437 N. Main St. was razed. They stayed with Mrs. Gleason's brother, Ruddle Gleason, 1301 N. Water St., for a while.
Dewey Varnum stands gazing ruefully at the debris of his dwelling at 1427 N. Main St. Behind him is Mrs. Varnum holding their 20-month-old daughter, Phyllis Ann. (G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

Excavation work was underway this week for a basement of a 14-foot addition to the rear of the North Main Street Grocery and residence of Omer Winstead, 1451 N. Main St. The two-story building was badly damaged, the second story being ripped away. The structure will be rebuilt as a one-story building. Walls of the living quarters on the south will have to be razed to the foundation and rebuilt, and about half of the walls of the store on the north will have to be torn down and rebuilt. The Winsteads are staying with relatives at 319 N. Main St.

The last Cape Girardeau residence hit by the storm, commanding a beautiful view of the city, river and Illinois bluffs from a high hill at Hill and Robert Streets, was that of Mr. and Mrs. F.A. Crawford. From this point the tornado roared downhill and into the river bottoms, across the Cape Rock fleet anchorage and spent itself just across the river in Illinois after slashing Devil's Island. Mr. Crawford is making what repairs he can on his house. A roof has been placed and some plastering work is going on. Much work remains. Mrs. Crawford is staying with her mother, Mrs. Alma Fitzgerald, 331 N. Fountain St. Mr. Crawford and son, Farris, are residing in their home while repairs are being made.

Final object in the tornado path as it left Cape Girardeau was the U.S. Engineer's fleet anchorage just south of Cape Rock in the Mississippi River. Lloyd Trickey, 911 S. Pacific St., was in one of two wooden cabins on the dock barge and was rolled over the deck amid debris as they were carried from their bolted positions to the steel barge-top. Fleetmaster John Schlenker said a survey party from St. Louis has checked the damage and that a cabin has been sent here to replace one of those destroyed. It will be bolted down soon. Radio equipment was badly damaged and has been sent away for repairs. The floating gangway was destroyed and has been replaced by a small barge connecting the large barge with the shore. Two motor boats, a Chris-Craft, which was sunk, and an inboard survey party boat, which lost its cabin, will be replaced. A truck assigned to the fleet was blown away, probably into the river, and has not been found. A second truck, assigned to a survey party, was a total loss, although recovered from the river. Both will be replaced.