1902 Goliad, Texas, tornado

The 1902 Goliad, Texas, tornado was a F4 tornado that struck the town of Goliad, Texas, on May 18, 1902. The tornado touched down on the south side of the San Antonio River at 3:35 p.m.

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It travelled northeast and struck Goliad. A total of 114 people died, 250 were injured, and $125,000 damage occurred. Inflation put it at $3,424,800 damage. Within a few hours, 85 people were reported dead and 29 more over the next several days. Across the city, 150 homes, 100 businesses, a Baptist church and parsonage, a black Methodist church, a white Methodist church, and the second story of the county courthouse were destroyed. At least 50 people were in the black church. None survived. The first floor of the county courthouse was changed into a medical center. After the tornado, all the bodies were buried in a trench due to lack of time and money. It tied with the Waco tornado of May 11, 1953, as the deadliest in Texas history and eleventh overall in the United States.