by: Marissa Coleman
Bellarmine College History student and
Carnegie Center for Art and History Intern, Summer 2020

At some point throughout my time as a collections intern for the Carnegie Center, I came across a booklet containing information about a tornado joint relief report from July of 1917. Created by both the American Red Cross and the New Albany Citizens Relief Committee, the booklet used pictures, short stories, reports, vouchers, and even a Disaster Relief Model to document the destruction that took place months prior on March 23rd, 1917. As a local history enthusiast, I was curious to find out what exactly happened that day.

Tornado Relief Booklet of the Red Cross and New Albany Citizens Relief Committee, 1917, Carnegie Center for Art and History Collection, Gift of Hazel Bir, 1976.007.004

Today marks 103 years and 4 months since that day when one of the worst tornadoes in Kentuckiana’s history struck, causing 46 deaths and 250 injuries. The tornado was labeled as an F4 on the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale, meaning wind speeds were between 207 and 260MPH. At 3:08PM, the 400-yard tornado traveled 33 miles through Harrison, Floyd, and Clark County, as well as Jefferson County in Kentucky, causing devastating damage until it dissipated in Harrod’s Creek, Kentucky.

DePauw Estate, Tornado Damage, postcard, 1917. Carnegie Center for Art and History Collection, Gift of Jim Wilkerson, 1991.001.005

During the time that the tornado passed through New Albany, one of the documented residences that was destroyed was the DePauw Estate. Pictured here in this sepia-toned postcard is what was once called the “DePauw Apartments”, located on 1905 Charlestown Road (currently located here is Ace Hardware). This Italianate house was named after businessman, philanthropist, and Indiana native Washington C. DePauw, who was considered to be one of the wealthiest men in Indiana.  The building once served as DePauw’s summer house. On that day in 1917, Jane Barth Anderson and her mother, Helen Barth, resided in the house. Thankfully, they were able to escape the rubble through a window of the house.