Goliad Tornado of 1902
Goliad, Goliad County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A cyclone, considered one of the two most disastrous in Texas history, struck Goliad on Sunday, May 18, 1902. The twister touched down on the south side of the San Antonio River at 3:35 p.m. Sounding like a heavily loaded freight train, the storm ripped a mile long, half-mile wide path across the northwest section of town, destroying over 100 homes and leaving an official death toll of 114. At least 50 members of a black Methodist church died when their sanctuary was razed. After the disaster, the Goliad County courthouse served as a temporary hospital and morgue. (1978) Incise in base: Marker sponsor: Goliad Rotary Club, 1978
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On a Sunday afternoon in May 1902, a tornado remembered as one of the worst in Texas history tore across Goliad. Sounding like a freight train, it cut a mile-long path through the northwest of town, flattening more than a hundred homes and killing 114 people. At least fifty died when a Black Methodist church was destroyed, and the county courthouse was pressed into service as a hospital and morgue.
Why it matters
The Goliad tornado stands among Texas's deadliest natural disasters, a stark reminder of how vulnerable small communities were before modern weather warning.
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Related events
- · Goliad Tornado of 1902
Themes & tags
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