Carnegie Center Presents “Bicentennial Biographies” Workshop, Suggested for Grades 1-5
Saturday March 16, 2013, 11:00 am-12:00 pm; Topic: The Tornado of 1917
**Please bring two (2) empty 2-liter bottles for Tornado in a Bottle craft!
The Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany, Indiana is pleased to present a series of monthly workshops suggested for children in grades 1 through 5 in commemoration of New Albany’s bicentennial in 2013. The “Bicentennial Biographies” workshops will be offered the third Saturday of each month during 2013 and will teach participants about a local historical figure or significant local event. The workshops are taught by David Condra, an avid historian who recently retired from Floyds Knobs Elementary after many years of teaching. Each “Bicentennial Biographies” workshop will begin with information about that month’s topic, followed by a craft or activity along that theme. Children must be accompanied by an adult. The workshops are free but registration is required and on a first come, first served basis, and each workshop is limited to 15 children. Please call 812-944-7336 or email
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to register.
At our March 16 “Bicentennial Biographies” workshop, participants will learn about the tornado of 1917. On Friday, March 23rd, 1917, at approximately 3:09 p.m., a Level F4 tornado struck New Albany wreaking death, destruction, and devastation in its path. Many people during that time referred to the storm as a cyclone, but actually it was an F4 tornado. The day had been a stormy one, with severe storms predicted by The National Weather Service for that afternoon. The year 1917 was well before television, so there were no local TV weather broadcasts, no Weather Channel on Cable TV, telephones were not very plentiful, there were no community warning system sirens, and no Doppler Radar to warn New Albany citizens to immediately take cover. The tornado skipped over Silver Hills, and touched down around West Seventh and Cherry Streets. The tornado moved in an east, northeast direction, ripping a swath of destruction nearly one half mile wide, and approximately three miles long through the northern section of New Albany. The toll from this deadly tornado was 46 people killed, 250 people injured, and 300 homes and other buildings destroyed. The National Guard, along with a local militia, sealed off New Albany to halt the steady influx of 30,000 gawkers and onlookers from continuing to pour into the city. The New Albany Tornado of 1917, in which 46 people lost their lives, ranks fourth in terms of deadly tornadoes in Indiana History. **Adults need to bring two (2) empty 2-liter bottles for each child. After learning about the tornado of 1917, each attendee will each make a Tornado in a Bottle, using two empty 2-liter bottles, a vortex tube, and water.
