One of the tragedies that has visited Cave City was the storm of January 17, 1870. The wind, blowing from the Southwest, started its destruction just below where Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Allen now live on the Dixie Highway. The path of the storm was about one half mile in width and it followed the highway pretty closely until it passed Cave City and then swerved to the East. Down the highway, Bird's School House was uprooted and between that and the "Old Hawkins Place" many houses were blown down and livestock destroyed. The Bill Lewis Poynter place was totally destroyed although the family escaped. Dr. Joel Y. Wilson's place, Dr. Wilson was the father of Mrs. Ernest T. Willis, was the next devastated and Dr. Wilson and his wife were both seriously injured although both later recovered. The storm then hit Pruitt's Knob and John McCown and his little daughter of 8 were killed. His wife and another child were badly injured. Also a Miss Fite was killed and her father badl! y hurt. The Downer and Williams orchards at Pruitt's Knob, famous in their day, were totally destroyed. From there to Cave City, a distance of two miles, every dwelling, barn building and fence were blown down or entirely away. At Cave City the storm converted the town into a shambles. The dead were: George Poynter, wife and child! Andrew Davidson; Mrs. J. W. Sterret. Two Messrs. Vaughn, near Glasgow Junction, made the total dead ten. Seriously injured were: Miss Mattie Drane; Miss Pogs Neville; J. H. Foster; J. H. Brown; D. G. McKinney and wife; John Edwards; W. Parrish; James Foster; Prof. A. F. Williams, wife and two children; A. L. Mallory; R. L. Jolly and wife; William Herman, wife and two children; Miss Lively; two children of E. T. Ritter; J. Foster's wife and two children and Mrs. Peggy Rogers. The Williams, Herman, Davidson, Poynter, Neville, Foster and Jolly homes were destroyed as was the only church building in town and the combined school building and Masonic Lodge building. The Negro section was entirely wiped out. The Dr. Hatcher, S. J. Preston, Capt. Noah Smith, G. T. Gardner residences were damaged; the Gardner home, where Mrs. Belle Denison now lives, being badly damaged. On the day following the storm, hundreds of dollars were raised for relief in Glasgow and placed in her banks payable to the order of Mr. Price Curd of Cave City for relief. Mrs. M. Tutt and Mr. Tom Turner also lost their homes. Elder I. B. Grubbs, of Eminence, Ky., was holding a series of meetings at the Cave City Church and his text on the night before the storm was Hosea, 8th Chapter, 7th Verse: "For they have sown the wind and shall reap the whirlwind." Several of the injured later died and the total dead finally was 14 or 15. (To be continued) M. Dean Hunt Louisville, KY

Does anyone know anything about this W Parrish or his family? Rachel Dean Hunt <deanhunt@bellsouth.net> wrote: One of the tragedies that has visited Cave City was the storm of January 17, 1870. . . . Seriously injured were: Miss Mattie Drane; Miss Pogs Neville; J. H. Foster; J. H. Brown; D. G. McKinney and wife; John Edwards; W. Parrish; James Foster; Prof. A. F. Williams, wife and two children; A. L. Mallory; R. L. Jolly and wife; William Herman, wife and two children; Miss Lively; two children of E. T. Ritter; J. Foster's wife and two children and Mrs. Peggy Rogers . . . --------------------------------- Blab-away for as little as 1¢/min. Make PC-to-Phone Calls using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice.