A detailed account in the Castleford Women’s Institute Tweedsmuir Community History Collection describes a tornado event that hit Castleford, Ontario in June 1893. The two-page document, housed in the Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives, recounts significant damage to the local schoolhouse and surrounding buildings.
However, research reveals a date discrepancy. I’ve found no other records to confirm a tornado in the area during June 1893. Instead, evidence points to a notable tornado event on May 23, 1893:
- The Ottawa Citizen reported a deadly tornado in Ottawa on May 23, 1893 (published May 25).
- The Michael Newark Digitized Tornado Archive records a widespread tornado outbreak on the same date.
It’s possible the Castleford account actually refers to this May event, with the date misremembered as June. The vivid details suggest an eyewitness account, potentially written years later from memory.
This finding highlights the importance of cross-referencing historical sources and considering how memory can affect the accuracy of eyewitness accounts over time.
Thanks for sharing. I would suspect the author wrote this after listening to her parents or other relatives retell the event that they had witnessed. The author was an excellent writer.