The Tornado of 1884, Nelson, Cagletown, Tate, and more.

In February of 1884, a tornado visited Pickens County and cut a 15-mile path, leaving several residents dead (including the Cagle and other families) A vivid description of the tornado is in the Feb 21, 1884 cover of the Atlanta Constitution. Cagletown began in 1869 and today is known merely as Cagle. Historically it was mostly an agricultural town started by the Cagle family that had first migrated from North Carolina to the Hickory log section of Cherokee County until they moved into Pickens County. They traditionally attended church at Bethany and Refuge Baptist Church, had a post office in a place called Jockey, and operated several mills. The Cagle House off Hwy 108 is one of the few places in our county on the National Historic Register of Places.

The storm system killed over 300 people across Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Locally, twenty people died. They are listed below:

Clarissa Cagle

Her son Peter Cagle

Her daughter

Alonzo Crook Wright

William Grover

William Herren

Mrs. James Dowda

Her daugher Elizabeth Dowda

Her daughter Lula Dowda

Mrs. Wily

Mrs. Lewis King and her two children

John Nicholson

Mrs. John Nicholson

Mrs. Nations

Mrs. Watkins

Jasper H. Pettett, child of Perry Pettett

Child of Hiram Walker

Annie Collier, child of W.H. Collier

In addition to the lives lost, three Baptist churches were destroyed: Refuge Baptist Church, Long Swamp Baptist, and Cool Springs Baptist Church.

An article from the Cherokee Advance, dated Feb 21, 1884

Our wildest and most visionary imagination of its pictured trees and fences whirling in mid air was not half surmised.  The scene is beyond description or imagination.  No pen nor picture can fairly represent the devastation which we beheld--unequalled (sic) by South Ga.  The storm began at about 2 o'clock in the evening and lasted quite awhile, passing over considerable ground, ranging from a south-easterly to a north-westerly course and extending for several mile (sic) into Pickens county and doing a great deal of damage.  It could be heard for some distance and the earth was enveloped in darkness during the fierceness.  The section of the county we visited was in the vicinity of Davis & Cornelisons' store in the northern part of this county, 2 miles west of Sharp Top (Cherokee County Sharp Top, not Pickens), near the Pickens county line.  We stopped at John McMahan, the first house we found standing, passing over a distance of 2 miles along which the cyclone had cut its way, and found there the wife of Louis King lying cold and motionless, and Louis King and three of his children badly hurt; Mrs. King was enciente.  Here we stopped until morning and learned from the family the following sad particulars:  That John Nicholson and wife, an aged couple; 3 year old child of W. H. Collier; 2 boys of Levi Cagle, and William Herring, a hired hand on Cagles' place besides Mrs. King above mentioned were instantly killed; making seven in all.  That W. H. Collier, Mrs. Warren Barret, and perhaps children; Mrs. Frank Manley Mrs. Levi Cagle the wife and three children of Jim Dowda Mrs. Lacy Mrs. Pitts Mrs. Baker Jim Taylor and wife Tom Cook  Anneias Cornelison, Kings above mentioned and perhaps others we do not now remember were badly hurt and may yet die.  That the houses of W. H. Collier, Louis King Mrs. Barrett, C. H. Taylors, dwelling and barns, Wm Manley, Jim Lacy, John Boling, Louis Taylor, Tom Cook, Levi Cagle, good new house, John Cagle, John Payn, John Nicholson, Mr. Daniel, Lilly Corbin, Levi Corn Mr. Carr, and Cal Jackson were blown down; of the first six we could only see here and there a scattered piece of the building and house furniture broken and strewn all over the fields and woods.  The roof was blown off the house of Jas Smith, the tobacco barn of Ara Smith, and school room in which John Cline, was teaching at the time; no one hurt at either of last name places so far as known.

Other severe tornado storms hit the county in 1974 and 1994.