Description: Picture of firemen putting out flames after the 1974 Xenia tornado in the area just west of the Greene County Courthouse. Adair’s furniture store opened up onto S. Detroit Street on Route 68. As of 2014, the building was occupied by several stores, including the Hospice of the Miami Valley and Coldwell Banker Heritage Realtors. On April 3, 1974, an F5 category tornado struck Xenia, Ohio. The tornado that struck Xenia was just one of at least 148 tornadoes that occurred in the South and Midwest in a twenty-four period. This was the worst outbreak of tornadoes recorded in the twentieth century. The tornado that struck Xenia had maximum winds of three hundred miles per hour. It destroyed more than one thousand homes and businesses. Hardly any buildings remained standing in Xenia's downtown. Thirty-three people died in the storm, with approximately another 1,150 people injured. President Richard Nixon visited Xenia a week following the tornado. He stated, "It's the worst disaster I've ever seen." Xenia rebuilt quickly. By April 3, 1975, eighty percent of the destroyed homes and forty percent of the businesses had been rebuilt. It would take until 1984 for all structures to be repaired or rebuilt, but as bumper stickers that appeared within days of the tornado stated, "Xenia Lives!" View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07694
Subjects: Tornadoes--Ohio--Xenia; Tornado damage; Natural disasters; Xenia (Ohio)--History
Places: Xenia (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows a tractor trailer overturned after the 1974 tornado. On April 3, 1974, an F5 category tornado struck Xenia, Ohio. The tornado that struck Xenia was just one of at least 148 tornados that occurred in the South and Midwest in a twenty-four period. This was the worst outbreak of tornados recorded in the twentieth century. The tornado that struck Xenia had maximum winds of three hundred miles per hour. It destroyed more than one thousand homes and businesses. Hardly any buildings remained standing in Xenia's downtown. Thirty-three people died in the storm, with approximately another 1,150 people injured. President Richard Nixon visited Xenia a week following the tornado. He stated, "It's the worst disaster I've ever seen." Xenia rebuilt quickly. By April 3, 1975, eighty percent of the destroyed homes and forty percent of the businesses had been rebuilt. It would take until 1984 for all structures to be repaired or rebuilt, but as bumper stickers that appeared within days of the tornado stated, "Xenia Lives!" View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07695
Subjects: Tornadoes--Ohio--Xenia; Tornado damage; Natural disasters; Xenia (Ohio)--History
Places: Xenia (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows the National Guard clearing debris after the 1974 tornado. On April 3, 1974, an F5 category tornado struck Xenia, Ohio. The tornado that struck Xenia was just one of at least 148 tornados that occurred in the South and Midwest in a twenty-four hour period. This was the worst outbreak of tornados recorded in the twentieth century. The tornado that struck Xenia had maximum winds of three hundred miles per hour. It destroyed more than one thousand homes and businesses. Hardly any buildings remained standing in Xenia's downtown. Thirty-three people died in the storm, with approximately another 1,150 people injured. President Richard Nixon visited Xenia a week following the tornado. He stated, "It's the worst disaster I've ever seen." Xenia rebuilt quickly. By April 3, 1975, eighty percent of the destroyed homes and forty percent of the businesses had been rebuilt. It would take until 1984 for all structures to be repaired or rebuilt, but as bumper stickers that appeared within days of the tornado stated, "Xenia Lives!" View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07696
Subjects: Tornadoes--Ohio--Xenia; Tornado damage; Natural disasters; Xenia (Ohio)--History; National Guard
Places: Xenia (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is an aerial photograph of two homes destroyed after the 1974 tornado. On April 3, 1974, an F5 category tornado struck Xenia, Ohio. The tornado that struck Xenia was just one of at least 148 tornados that occurred in the South and Midwest in a twenty-four hour period. This was the worst outbreak of tornados recorded in the twentieth century. The tornado that struck Xenia had maximum winds of three hundred miles per hour. It destroyed more than one thousand homes and businesses. Hardly any buildings remained standing in Xenia's downtown. Thirty-three people died in the storm, with approximately another 1,150 people injured. President Richard Nixon visited Xenia a week following the tornado. He stated, "It's the worst disaster I've ever seen." Xenia rebuilt quickly. By April 3, 1975, eighty percent of the destroyed homes and forty percent of the businesses had been rebuilt. It would take until 1984 for all structures to be repaired or rebuilt, but as bumper stickers that appeared within days of the tornado stated, "Xenia Lives!" View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07697
Subjects: Tornadoes--Ohio--Xenia; Tornado damage; Natural disasters; Xenia (Ohio)--History
Places: Xenia (Ohio)
 

Description: View of the damaged bath house at Buckeye Lake, Ohio, after a cyclone hit in June 1922. Buckeye Lake began as a small pond that Ohio's American Indians called "Big Swamp" or "Big Pond." In the 1820s, the state began construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal, and workers built a dike that diverted water from the south fork of the Licking River into the pond, which then became known as the Licking Reservoir or Licking Summit Reservoir. As canals declined in use in the second half of the 19th century, the Ohio and Erie Canal was abandoned and began to deteriorate, but the canal's decline did not mean an end to the Licking Reservoir. Instead, the state legislature renamed it Buckeye Lake and made it a public park in 1894. By the early 20th century, the reservoir had become an attractive location for recreational activities, including through the construction of Buckeye Lake Amusement Park, and the Columbus, Buckeye Lake and Newark Interurban Electric Railway, an electric trolley system, connected the park to nearby urban areas. In 1949, the state of Ohio designated Buckeye Lake as a state park. The amusement park began to decline in popularity by the late 1950s and continued to deteriorate in the 1960s. Although the amusement park no longer exists, Buckeye Lake State Park still attracts a number of visitors to the area each year, in addition to the many people who own vacation homes near the lake or live in the area year-round. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05316
Subjects: Tornadoes--Ohio; Ohio History--Natural and Native Ohio; Buckeye Lake (Ohio)--History
Places: Buckeye Lake (Ohio); Fairfield County (Ohio); Licking County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is an aerial view of damage caused to the town of Xenia, Ohio, after a tornado struck on April 4, 1974. The Xenia tornado was part of a tornado super-outbreak that occurred across the country from April 3-4. The Xenia tornado killed 32 people, and destroyed half the buildings in the city and 300 homes. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03878
Subjects: Tornado damage; Natural disasters--United States; Tornadoes--Ohio--Xenia; Aerial views
Places: Xenia (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is an aerial view of damage caused to the town of Xenia, Ohio, after a tornado struck on April 4, 1974. The Xenia tornado was part of a tornado super-outbreak that occurred across the country from April 3-4. The Xenia tornado killed 32 people, and destroyed half the buildings in the city and 300 homes. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03879
Subjects: Tornado damage; Natural disasters--United States; Tornadoes--Ohio--Xenia; Aerial views
Places: Xenia (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is an aerial view of damage caused to the town of Xenia, Ohio, after a tornado struck on April 4, 1974. The Xenia tornado was part of a tornado super-outbreak that occurred across the country from April 3-4. The Xenia tornado killed 32 people, and destroyed half the buildings in the city and 300 homes. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03880
Subjects: Tornado damage; Natural disasters--United States; Tornadoes--Ohio--Xenia; Aerial views
Places: Xenia (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)
 

Description: Picture postcard showing the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Lorain, Ohio, following the devastating tornado of June 28, 1924. Large sections of the walls and roof of the church are crumbled and missing. The deadliest tornado in Ohio history struck Lorain and Sandusky on Saturday, June 28, 1924. This was not the largest or strongest tornado to occur in Ohio, but the violent storm struck an urban center where thousands of people were put at risk. There were 85 fatalities, 72 of which occurred in Lorain. The Lorain Tornado formed over Sandusky Bay and passed eastward, striking the northern edge of Sandusky at 4:35 PM. One hundred homes and 25 businesses were destroyed in the town, and there were eight deaths. The tornado continued over Lake Erie before coming ashore at the Lorain Municipal Bath House in Lakeview Park. Buildings were damaged for 35 blocks along Broadway and at least 200 automobiles were buried in bricks and other debris. More than 1,000 homes were damaged and 500 destroyed in Lorain. All downtown businesses sustained some damage. The death toll of 15 in the State Theater is the most ever killed by a tornado in one building in Ohio. Dozens of doctors and hundreds of nurses arrived in Lorain Saturday night from Cleveland to attend to the injured. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC169_004
Subjects: Tornadoes--Ohio; Tornado damage; Natural disasters; Climate and Weather;
Places: Lorain (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio)
 

Description: Picture postcard looking north on Broadway from 4th Street in Lorain, Ohio, following the devastating tornado of June 28, 1924. Businesses can be seen lining the street as residents work to clear rubble. The deadliest tornado in Ohio history struck Lorain and Sandusky on Saturday, June 28, 1924. This was not the largest or strongest tornado to occur in Ohio, but the violent storm struck an urban center where thousands of people were put at risk. There were 85 fatalities, 72 of which occurred in Lorain. The Lorain Tornado formed over Sandusky Bay and passed eastward, striking the northern edge of Sandusky at 4:35 PM. One hundred homes and 25 businesses were destroyed in the town, and there were eight deaths. The tornado continued over Lake Erie before coming ashore at the Lorain Municipal Bath House in Lakeview Park. Buildings were damaged for 35 blocks along Broadway and at least 200 automobiles were buried in bricks and other debris. More than 1,000 homes were damaged and 500 destroyed in Lorain. All downtown businesses sustained some damage. The death toll of 15 in the State Theater is the most ever killed by a tornado in one building in Ohio. Dozens of doctors and hundreds of nurses arrived in Lorain Saturday night from Cleveland to attend to the injured. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC169_010
Subjects: Tornadoes--Ohio; Tornado damage; Natural disasters; Climate and Weather;
Places: Lorain (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio)
 

Description: Picture postcard showing the ruins of the State Theater in Lorain, Ohio, following the devastating tornado of June 28, 1924. The caption reads "100 people killed. 'Sacrifice' was being played on the piano." Despite the figure on the postcard, there were 15 confirmed dead after the theater was crushed by a seven-story building next door which collapsed. The property would later be razed on June 30, 1924. The deadliest tornado in Ohio history struck Lorain and Sandusky on Saturday, June 28, 1924. This was not the largest or strongest tornado to occur in Ohio, but the violent storm struck an urban center where thousands of people were put at risk. There were 85 fatalities, 72 of which occurred in Lorain. The Lorain Tornado formed over Sandusky Bay and passed eastward, striking the northern edge of Sandusky at 4:35 PM. One hundred homes and 25 businesses were destroyed in the town, and there were eight deaths. The tornado continued over Lake Erie before coming ashore at the Lorain Municipal Bath House in Lakeview Park. Buildings were damaged for 35 blocks along Broadway and at least 200 automobiles were buried in bricks and other debris. More than 1,000 homes were damaged and 500 destroyed in Lorain. All downtown businesses sustained some damage. The death toll of 15 in the State Theater is the most ever killed by a tornado in one building in Ohio. Dozens of doctors and hundreds of nurses arrived in Lorain Saturday night from Cleveland to attend to the injured. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC169_007
Subjects: Tornadoes--Ohio; Tornado damage; Natural disasters; Climate and Weather;
Places: Lorain (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio)
 

Description: Picture postcard showing a neighborhood at the corner of E Street and Delaware Avenue in Lorain, Ohio, following the devastating tornado of June 28, 1924. Residents move through the rubble of damaged and missing houses. The deadliest tornado in Ohio history struck Lorain and Sandusky on Saturday, June 28, 1924. This was not the largest or strongest tornado to occur in Ohio, but the violent storm struck an urban center where thousands of people were put at risk. There were 85 fatalities, 72 of which occurred in Lorain. The Lorain Tornado formed over Sandusky Bay and passed eastward, striking the northern edge of Sandusky at 4:35 PM. One hundred homes and 25 businesses were destroyed in the town, and there were eight deaths. The tornado continued over Lake Erie before coming ashore at the Lorain Municipal Bath House in Lakeview Park. Buildings were damaged for 35 blocks along Broadway and at least 200 automobiles were buried in bricks and other debris. More than 1,000 homes were damaged and 500 destroyed in Lorain. All downtown businesses sustained some damage. The death toll of 15 in the State Theater is the most ever killed by a tornado in one building in Ohio. Dozens of doctors and hundreds of nurses arrived in Lorain Saturday night from Cleveland to attend to the injured. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC169_003
Subjects: Tornadoes--Ohio; Tornado damage; Natural disasters; Climate and Weather;
Places: Lorain (Ohio); Lorain County (Ohio)