Elm Valley Cyclone Andover, NY Vintage Antique Photograph 48 Inches Pingrey Hill

Description: Extremely cool piece of Andover, NY history. I’m not sure of the date this was taken nor the date it was developed but the cyclone happened in July of 1920. Here is some information I found about the event: “ELM VALLEY All the way from the Charles Burdick farm up to the head of the valley everything has been swept away and is ruined. Elm Valley seemed to have been picked for the greater suffering, for with the loss of property came the loss of life. Carl Will a young man, beloved by everyone, was caught in the debris as the house came crashing in upon the family gathered in the sittingroom, and was dead before he could be rescued. He evidently stood near a bookcase, and as the house came crushing in was caught under the case. Before he could extricate himself the chimney piled up on the bookcase, and it was impossible to get him out. It is said he lived several minutes and called for help. It took seven men to get the debris off from his lifeless body. The other members of the family miraculously escaped death. Mr. Will was caught in the fubbish but was able to get out with the assistanced of the other members of the family. The Fairbanks house and barn across the road from the Will farm were destroyed. The house was blown over and Mr. and Mrs. Fairbanks pinned into the debries. They had an oil lamp burning whch set fire to the lumber. They could not extricate themselves and that they would be burned alive, but another blast of the tornado removed the heavy timbers from them and they escaped death. They were hurled out of the debris into a ditch. Mrs Fairbanks was burned. Doran Brothers lost a big barn, another barn unroofed, grainery unroofed, soaking several hundred bushels of grain, garage destroyed, but left automobile uninjured. All the way up the valley everything was destroyed in the way of crops and barns. In a radius of a few miles out of a total of 44 barns there are but three now standing. They were nearly all filled with the crop of new hay recently harvested now entirely spoiled by the drenching rain which followed the awful cyclone. Probably no better set of farm buildings existed in this section of the state than those of William Hess of Elm Valley. Everyone is gone and leveled to the ground, with the exception of a grainery. George McAndrew lost every building on the place. His house has vanished entirely. The family barley escaped with their lives. All the barns are ruined. They all repaired to their cellars as soon as the wind began to blow and waited there, hoping that their trembling dwelling might withstand the shock of the winds. The gale increased, while the house began to rock to and fro. Suddenly the entire structure was dragged from its foundations, carried 50 feet uphill to a point where it rested its flight and resolved itself into kindling wood. The McAndrews, however, remained in their place of refuge until the srom was over when they emerged. Mrs. McAndrew is seriouly ill from the shock. PINGREY HILL It is a sorry sight that you behold as one drives over this usually picturesque spot. It was formerly one of the beauty spots in rural Andover. Today it is a wreck of debries from homes demolished, trees uprooted and barns and crops spoiled. Two of the three barns on the T.N. Boyd farm were shattered into kindling wood, on the Davis place shed being damaged. Leon Wahl, who lives on the George Barrett farm, had his big cow barn blown to a wreck and part of the roof to his house taken off. John Baker lost his barn and the house was badly bamaged. Will Pingrey, barn unroofed and back part of his house badly damaged. James Dean loses two barns and his house badly damaged. Orange Smith, two barns blown down, the house blown apart, separating it entirely, windows smashed and everything blown all over the place. Nelson Straight, who lives on the place, lost a $600 team of fine work horses when the barn came down. A hole was blown in Elmer Caple's dwelling, but he has the distinction of having about the only barn in the neighborhood standing. Michael Gavin lost three fine barns, all badly wrecked and his house is nearly ruined. Henry Will had his barn unroofed and huse badly damaged. The roof is off the John Kemp house. Attorney C.L. Early has lost all the barns on his three large farms, the McTighe farm, the Corwin farm and the Cole farm. Some were ripped off the foundation and even that destroyed. He had acres of fine timber on the McTighe and Corwin farms that was ruined. Tom Swain was in his barn when the storm broke, and if it had not been for some bales of hay which kept the timbers from crushing him as it collapsed, his life would have been crushed out. As it is he was seriously injured.” Please look at the pictures carefully and feel free to ask questions. This would look beautiful framed! Thanks for looking.

Price: 50 USD

Location: Arkport, New York

End Time: 2024-05-08T11:14:58.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD