It Was 35 Years Ago Today - Fairfax Tornado - June 11, 1973

[Henry]

Hi all,

When we heard the threats of a tornado, Maryann mentioned that these things always happen in June, and the one tornado I remember here in Fairfax occurred here on June 11, 1973.  I told Maryann, if I were living in the area of Gilles Rainville's Farm, think I would go visiting somewhere as since 1900, there have been three recorded tornados that have swept up through there from the Georgia High Bridge Area.  My photo gallery is still down, but I do have some web sites I created that have some photos of the tornado of 1973, if you want to take a look at them:

http://www.vtgrandpa.com/fhs/tornado.html

http://www.vtgrandpa.com/fhs/tornado1.html

[Mike Raburn]

I was there on Maple Street when it hit.
Gawd I am old.

The next few days all you heard was chainsaws.

Give me a good 7.5 earthquake any day.

[MikeF9]

It was over in a hurry, and we went out to find our beloved apple tree on it's side.
Power was out until 1am.
I remember standing down on Maple Street the next morning looking at the tree that fell on Broe's house, when a teacher arrived. Um, shouldn't you guys be heading to school? she asked.
There is no school, was our reply.
She hadn't gotten the message yet.
35 years ago it was a Monday night. This time it was a Tuesday night.

[Mike Raburn]

Wasn't Dorthy King a retired librarian?
Was it her?

She was the lady with all of the cats across from my great grandmothers, right?

[Henry]

Dorothy King was my first grade teacher back in 1939 in my one-room-school on Fairfield Ridge, besides also being my cousin.  When they closed the school during WWII, due to a lack of teachers, I transferred to the Soule School at the end of the Buck Hollow Road in Fairfield and she again was my 7th & 8th Grade Teacher.

Her house was bought after her death by a very nice couple who have done a great job fixing it up.  Don't remember Dorothy having a lot of cats.  Might have been someone else on that street.

[MikeF9]

Mike,
The teacher that stopped and saw us on Maple Street was a young teacher from out of town. She had no idea the tornado took place.
The lady with the cats was Bea Cherrier, who lived next to Dorothy King and across from your great-grandmother.
I had Dorothy King in third grade when we were up at the Parish Center.

[Mike Raburn]

That is correct.

I was one house off!!