Tennessee may feel like a magical, stunning escape and natural wonderland – which it is – but there has to be a bit of darkness where the light shines so bright. We’ve found a few chilling disasters that took place out here in Ol’ Rocky Top, some that you may have lived through yourself. Yikes. You may notice that quite a lot has happened out there in Music City, which can be attributed to the fact it has served as a historically large thoroughfare. If you know of anything intense that has happened in your small town, leave some thoughts in the comments below!
Nashville - Blizzard of 1951
tn.gov It wasn’t really a blizzard, but an insanely damaging ice storm that began in late January and carried on through the first week of February. The entirety of the city was driven inside as eight inches of snow, ten days of insane cold and 16,000 families lost power. With 2,000 telephone lines down, no one was calling out, either. Brrr.
Fraterville - Fraterville Mine Disaster
tn.gov 216 men lost their lives in the Fraterville disaster, suffocating deep beneath the surface after an explosion. A hidden pocket of methane gas was accidentally ignited, entombing the miners in a terrifyingly dark grave.
Nashville - Dutchman’s Curve Trainwreck
Wikipedia The Dutchman’s Curve trainwreck in 1918 is the most deadly in American history, and it occurred right outside of Nashville. More than one hundred people lost their lives when a communication error had two passenger trains colliding at more than fifty miles an hour. The tragic loss of life made national news.
Nashville - Great Nashville Fire of 1916
tn.gov A massive fire that broke out in East Nashville on March 22, 1916 left more than 2500 people homeless and destroyed more than 500 homes. The massive destruction left the city reeling for months.
Memphis - Yellow Fever Outbreak of 1873 and 1878
tn.gov The wicked bout of yellow fever that occurred in both 1873 and 1878 killed more than 7,000 city residents in Memphis.
Tennessee - New Madrid Earthquakes
tn.gov The famous New Madrid earthquakes that occurred in both 1811 and 1812 caused the Tennessee world to shudder so intensely that it changed the direction of the Mississippi for a hot second and created a series of lakes, including the wildly popular Reelfoot Lake.
Nashville - Flood of 2010
Wikipedia Considered a ‘One in a Thousand Years’ flood, Nashville was plummeted into months of damage control after a severe bout of rain raised the rivers and put a large amount of the town underwater, including downtown.
Memphis - Sultana Disaster
tn.gov As the worst maritime disaster in history, the Sultana changed the face of the Mississippi on April 27, 1865. An explosion demolished the ship and killed between 1800 and 2000 passengers.
Dang…did you know that the worst maritime disaster in HISTORY occurred in Memphis?! Insane. Completely and totally insane. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
tn.gov
It wasn’t really a blizzard, but an insanely damaging ice storm that began in late January and carried on through the first week of February. The entirety of the city was driven inside as eight inches of snow, ten days of insane cold and 16,000 families lost power. With 2,000 telephone lines down, no one was calling out, either. Brrr.
216 men lost their lives in the Fraterville disaster, suffocating deep beneath the surface after an explosion. A hidden pocket of methane gas was accidentally ignited, entombing the miners in a terrifyingly dark grave.
Wikipedia
The Dutchman’s Curve trainwreck in 1918 is the most deadly in American history, and it occurred right outside of Nashville. More than one hundred people lost their lives when a communication error had two passenger trains colliding at more than fifty miles an hour. The tragic loss of life made national news.
A massive fire that broke out in East Nashville on March 22, 1916 left more than 2500 people homeless and destroyed more than 500 homes. The massive destruction left the city reeling for months.
The wicked bout of yellow fever that occurred in both 1873 and 1878 killed more than 7,000 city residents in Memphis.
The famous New Madrid earthquakes that occurred in both 1811 and 1812 caused the Tennessee world to shudder so intensely that it changed the direction of the Mississippi for a hot second and created a series of lakes, including the wildly popular Reelfoot Lake.
Considered a ‘One in a Thousand Years’ flood, Nashville was plummeted into months of damage control after a severe bout of rain raised the rivers and put a large amount of the town underwater, including downtown.
As the worst maritime disaster in history, the Sultana changed the face of the Mississippi on April 27, 1865. An explosion demolished the ship and killed between 1800 and 2000 passengers.
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