1999 Clarksville Tornado Photographs

Collection

Identifier: 2006.048

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The 1999 Clarksville Tornado Photographs collection consists of photographs of downtown Clarksville after an F3 tornado struck on January 22, 1999 that severely damaged many historic buildings. This collection contains 71 photographs taken in the days following the disaster. The photographs were taken by Cindy Jackson and show many homes, churches, and vehicles that were badly damaged by the tornado as well as first responders clearing debris. The focus of the 1999 Clarksville Tornado Photographs Collection is the damage done by the tornado including many close up photos of many buildings that had to be demolished. This collection would be a great resource for someone researching downtown Clarksville and how the cityscape was changed after the tornado.

Dates

1999-01-22

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

While the Montgomery County Archives houses an item, it does not necessarily hold the copyright on the item, nor may it be able to determine if the item is still protected under current copyright law. It is the user’s obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Biographical / Historical

Early in the morning of January 22nd 1999, an F3 tornado touched down in downtown Clarksville that severely damaged many historic churches, houses, and businesses. Included in this collection are photographs that display a close up view of the wreckage of the downtown area, and the damage to many historic buildings that are no longer standing.

The photographs in this collection were taken by Ranger Cindy Jackson, who worked with the Army Corps of Engineers at nearby Cheatham lake. In the photographs volunteers and first responders alike are seen clearing the rubble that was left in the wake of the tornado.

The tornado was the most devastating disaster that affected Montgomery county since a fire in 1878. The tornado was only on the ground for about five minutes and within that short timespan 124 buildings were destroyed and over 500 buildings were damaged. After the storm had passed and the damage was assessed, the total cost of repairs were an estimated $72.7 million dollars.

Extent

.08 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The materials are arranged in the order in which they were received from the donor.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Photographs donated by Martha Milom in March 2006.

Related Materials

Additional photographs of the 1999 tornado may be found in the Millennium Commission Collection, 2005.006.

Physical Description

The color photographs in this collection are 4x6 photo prints.

Processing Information

The photographs in this collection were removed from a plastic bag, numbered, and digitized. There were two duplicate photographs included with the collection that were not given separate photograph numbers. They were then placed into acid-free photograph sleeves and folders which were housed in an acid-free box.