On a summer morning in July 1890, the cyclone hit Lawrence,
Massachusetts suddenly and without warning. What we would today
call a tornado or microburst began as soft showers advancing
across the city as people made their way to work on Saturday,
July 26, 1890. As nine o’clock approached, the clouds thickened
and darkened the sky. The rain intensified. Fifteen minutes
later, a funnel cloud appeared in the skies above Lawrence. The
wind picked up. Then, the noise started. Later, survivors
learned that those sounds were nearby houses being torn apart.
Most Lawrence residents confused the commotion for noise coming
from the city’s textile mills or from the city’s busy streets.
Chaos emerged as they realized a cyclone was crashing down onto
South Lawrence, sending trees, houses, and other debris flying
through the air and across the city. In just three minutes,
twenty-five houses were completely destroyed. Another 25
received serious damage. Dozens of people were wounded, and
eight people lost their lives. The cy