The Winds of Hurricane Hazel Brought Destruction and Death

Hurricanes have always plagued the coast of the Carolinas even before the first successful English settlement. In Jay Barnes’s book North Carolina’s Hurricane History, we find that in 1526 Lucas de Ayllón led a large Spanish expedition in search of gold along the Cape Fear. It is believed that the ship was wrecked near Bald Head Island due to a “loathsome gale.”

Roanoke Hurricane

One of the earliest detailed recollections of a hurricane comes from Sir Walter Raleigh’s Roanoke Island Colony. Raleigh had first tried to establish a colony on the island in 1584 but the lack of proper provisions and problems with the local Indian tribe caused them to return to England. In early 1585 a group of 106 arrived at the island with the intention of establishing a military post under the command of Colonial Governor Ralph. They were soon facing the same challenges as the first expedition – lack of sufficient supplies and bad relations with the local tribe. This time things escalated, and they took Menatonon, king of the Chowanoac Indian tribe as a prisoner but he released after three days. One of the settlers killed an Indian named Wingina who was believed to be plotting to destroy the colony and this led to open war of the tribe. In June 1586 Sir Francis Drake arrived in Roanoke from St. Augustine. Drake left England on September 14, 1584 with 25 ships and 2,300 men to attack the Spanish colonies along the east coast of North America.

Drake found the colony struggling due to the lack of provisions and the war with the Indians. He offered to give them supplies and to take the unwell colonists back to England. He also agreed to leave the Francis, a three-mast ship, along with two smaller ships and four boats for Lane and his men. While Lane was aboard Drake’s ship to making arrangements, a terrible storm came ashore. Lane wrote “while these things were in hand there arose a storm that continued four days. The storm would have driven all Drakes ships onto shore, if the Lord had not held his holy hand over them.”

The Francis along with other ships were destroyed by the hurricane. This proved to be the final straw for Lane and the discouraged colonists. The abandoned the New World and returned to England with Drake. In Lane’s haste he left behind three of his men that were exploring the up-country. Lane was criticized for abandoning the colony especially since Sir Richard Grenville’s relief squadron arrived with supplies shortly after Lane left for England. The next year Drake encountered another hurricane near Roanoke Island. He rode it out at sea for six days.

Hurricane Miami

September 17, 1926 the hurricane Miami, the most destructive to ever strike the United States, hit Florida. Rowland native Charles Wyatt Adams, son of Salathiel LeGette Adams and wife Virginia, died September 22nd of injuries suffered during the hurricane. He lived in Florida for six years working as a druggist. He was married to the former Margaret Mawhinney a Pennsylvania native. They had two daughters, Jean two and a half and Barbara only three days old at the time of the storm.

Their home held strong during the first wave of the storm with only the windows being broken. He wrapped his wife and Barbara in blankets to protect them from the rain. In the morning the much worse second wave hit lifting the house from its foundations. The house was a half block before breaking apart and a portion was carried another half block. Mrs. Adams and the baby were found in the first part of the house covered in debris. She suffered minor injuries while Barbara escaped without a scratch.

Adams was struck by a piece of timber above the eyes and it peeled his scalp back to the top of his head fracturing this skull in three places. He also suffered a broken leg and hip. He was holding Jean in his arms when the house was hit. He was found four hours after the storm ended. Jean was found floating the three feet of water about thirty minutes after her father was found. She was not identified until Monday by family friends. She had been passed house to house due to the scarcity of food and it was believed both of her parents had perished.  There were also two other women in the house at the time of the storm. Once was killed while the other suffered a broken leg. Adams friend and Rowland native, D.P. McKinnon, who then living in Miami began searching for the Adams family as soon as the storm ended. He did all he could to help the family in the next days. Charles Wyatt Adams was brought back to Rowland and buried in the town cemetery.

Hurricane of 1944

On August 1, 1944, a category one hurricane hit Southport, south of Wilmington, with eighty mile an hour wind. Thirty-foot waves hit Carolina Beach destroying the boardwalk and many beach homes. Several Lumberton residents were at Wrightsville Beach when the storm hit causing severe damage and making it necessary for thousands to evacuate. Those forced to leave the beach for Wilmington included Mrs. Dickson McLean and her sons, Dickson, Jr and Bill, along with her sister, Miss Frances Sartor; Mr. and Mrs. O.L. Henry and son, Everett; as well as Mrs. Mary Patterson Johnson and sons, James, Gilbert and Hervey. All of the Lumbertonians were reported as safe form the storm. Robeson County fared well during the storm with a rainfall of 2.55 inches.

County Damages

On the evening of Thursday, November 14, 1954 heavy rains began in the county with the full force of the storm sweeping in around 10:30 Friday morning and the height of the storm lasted about an hour. Winds increased from 15 miles per hour to 45 mph before 10:30 and soon after gusts were as high as 85 mph. Most Lumberton streets were flooded and covered in debris from downed trees. Men turned out to assist the street crews in removing downed trees covering the roads. Thad Ellerbe showed up with several chain saws.

The most common tree that fell in the county was the Chinaberry tree which has extremely shallow roots. The driveway of my great-grandparents home in St. Pauls was lined with the trees and all of them came down during the storm. Most everyone remembers Chinaberry trees in their or neighbors’ yards falling. Julia Atkinson watching from her back yard as one fell on an empty lot at the corner of West 17th Street and McMillan Avenue while Dwight Morgan watched their three fell from his bedroom window. Frances Phillips was seven at the time but remembers the storm taking out their tree and since then only remembers seeing one Chinaberry tree in the area. Joe Herring remembers playing on the big China Berry tree that Hazel blew down in their back yard.

During the storm the Civil Defense was called out to assist the police and direct traffic until the power was restore. David Lennon remembers that his dad, Duval Lennon, the Civil Defense director for Lumberton so was away from home during and after the storm. His family was all hunkered down in the central hallway of their home while his dad rode around town monitoring the damage. 

The damages cause by Hurricane Hazel were felt all over Robeson County with Lumberton, Fairmont and St. Pauls reported heavy wind damage. The October 18, 1954 issue of The Robesonian reported that south Lumberton suffered less damage than most of Lumberton. An unnamed resident told the reporter “this is one time I’m glad to live in the bottoms.” The bottoms were an area located on the Lumber River past the railroad tracks on South Elm Street.

Farm damages consisted of roofs torn off or the complete destruction of the buildings. Crops suffered especially the cotton fields.

The school buildings at Barnsville suffered the loss of roofs. Fairmont reported plate glass windows being blown out of the Rawls Chevrolet Company and the J.L. Pontiac Company. While roofs were damaged or blown off of Campbell’s Men’s Store, Fairmont Drug Co., Capital Beauty Shop and Fairmont bakery. As well as downed trees blocking around ten streets. Rowland reported building damages as well as lots of downed trees like most of the county.

A week after the hurricane there were already an estimated 2,000 insurance claims filed in Lumberton alone.

Mrs. Boyd Mincey was transporting several schoolgirls home during the storm when she became trapped on the corner of Grace and First Streets by power lines landing in front and behind her car. Elston Morgan seeing their plight and armed with a broom took a great risk pushing the downed lines away so she could move. A school bus in the Long Branch area was blocked when falling trees fell in front and behind. There were eventually moved, and the bus continued its journey.

Beach properties were hit hard with many and their contents being lost completely. Dr. George Allen only salvaged a refrigerator and two mattresses from his Holden Beach home while the banked sand at the front of John Bateman’s Carolina Beach home was around 12 feet since he could step from the bank directly onto the porch roof. Frank Morrison that left Holden Beach during the storm headed to Lumberton reported seeing the beach homes of Pete Skinner, Dr. George Allen, Johnny and Eddie McNeill as well as Zeke Stanton sweet away by the waves along with the beach pavilion. Also, at the beach were Dr. Irvin Biggs and Jack Pait who was with a fishing party. Heading toward the beach during the storm were Highway patrolman Fred Bowen, C.H. Long and J.S. Jones. During the afternoon the National Guard was called out to protect what was left of Long Beach from looters. Only five buildings remained on the beach out of the 357 buildings that existed before the hurricane. Lee Ward’s grandfather, Joseph C Ward, Sr., lived in Rowland and had a beach house in Garden City on the front row beside pier. Hazel left it an empty lot.

Ann Bellamy Russell was just two 2 years and 2 months old and living on Wrightsville Beach Road. Her daddy delivered milk for Sealtest in Wilmington. She vividly remembers lying on my parents’ bed with my mother and watching ocean water swirl in the front yard. They didn’t know where her daddy was or if he was safe. The pine trees were whipping and breaking. She can smell the seawater and hear the trees to this day.

Personal Memories

Billie Jo Faircloth Driggers was riding to Pembroke and saw a little girl crying because it was cold, and she had no coat. Billie Jo started crying wanting to give her the coat she was wearing but there was no way it would have fit her, and it was the only one she owned.

Linda Carol Whitney’s daddy, uncle and grandpa were at the Star Tobacco Warehouse in Lumberton when the roof was ripped off. While her mama, granny and aunt were home with the kids grading tobacco.

Ann Grice, a second-grade student at Orrum Elementary, was on the school bus that became surrounded by downed trees. All around were trees down on cars and houses. Grown men were crying as they reached the bus door to retrieve their children. She and her sister tried running down the dirt road to home only to be blown backwards. They stayed under barn shelter until their daddy came with car to pick them up. It was a never that no one will forget!!!

Most of the schools let out early and leaving most children to walk home. Sally Caldwell Gibson’s neighbor picked her up. On the drive the pine trees were bending over half way to the ground. Patsy Marquette remembers walking home and being so excited because of the wind blowing and trees bending. Her mom made them go straight into the house when they arrived, and it made Patsy so mad.

Seven-year-old Joyce Joyner was taking care of her brother and three sisters while her parents went to the pack house to secure everything and close the windows. While they were gone the front door keep blowing open and she didn’t know what to do, being the oldest she was in charge. She finally decided to put a suitcase against the door and sit on it. She held her three- and half-month-old sister while the other children sat with her. It held until her daddy got home and he had nailed the door shut. She says, “I am sure God was looking out for us.”

Wanda McDaniel Groce recalled the wind and rain but even more the terrified look on her mother’s face when trees began to fall. She watched her two white ducks being carried away by the wind. They were not flapping their wings. When the eye passed people emerged from their hiding places to survey the damage. Then the wind began to howl again. People thought the storm had turned around and was coming back. Meteorology was in its infancy then and we were unaware of this hurricane’s anatomy. The ducks survived minus a few feathers. And for years afterwards I watched trees lying in the woods decay slowly. A reminder of Hazel’s wrath that awful day when she was a child.

Kellen Byrd’s dad was fishing at Black River without a radio and did not know the weather forecast. He had to cut himself out of the woods with a chain saw. His family was so happy to see him alive.

Patsy Hester was at home alone because she couldn’t get to work due to the storm. She was scared to death. She mopped and waxed all the floors trying to calm down. To this day she is still afraid of storms.

Dick Holmes remembers that after the storm was over his dad took the family to the New Deal Café to eat. It was located in downtown Lumberton behind Sugar’s men’s store on 4th Street. Constantinos Peatros Loizou, better known as Gus, was cooking with gas and had lanterns and candles to light the place.

The Storm Brings Injury and Death

Several citizens were treated for injuries including Alfred Hodge who received damaged to his shoulder and chest when his house blew down around him. A tree landing on Bobby Little caused injuries to his elbow and knee. Rudolph Mears was injured while traveling on Highway 211. He was trying to dodge a dead dog on the road and his car struck a downed tree.

Daryl Thomson recalls his sister, Mary Jane, was outside with Mama getting clothes off the line when the six-foot board fence in our yard was blown down on top of her and she was taken to the new Hospital behind our house on 24th street with a concussion.

Ann McRainey Taylor remembers that on her father’s farm north of St. Pauls that one-month old Josie Ann Bullard was killed. She was the daughter of Lemoner Bullard and Esther Mae McCrowie. She and her mother were lying in bed when the storm blew a large tree on to the house. The father had been outside trying to board up windows that has been blown out.

Two Lumberton men, Dougald Bertrum Todd, Sr. and Shelton Wardell Bullard, went to the coast to check on Bullard’s Long Beach property when Hazel hit the Carolina shores. They were last seen in Southport but must have later gone to Long Beach. Todd was found soon after the storm, but Bullard remained missing for over two weeks. Bullard was found in a wooded area of Lockwood Folly a mile south of Long Beach by a group of children.

Todd, the son of Benjamin Columbus Todd and Martha Jane Pittman, was a furniture salesman. He was survived by his widow, the former Martha Viola Scott; three sons Dougald, Jr, William and Eartle; two daughters, Emma Todd Rinaldi and Betty Todd Mclean.

Todd’s daughter, Betty, remembers going to the beach with her brothers, Dougald and Ertle Todd.  The National Guard allowed them on to the beach. They walked down the beach to where they thought her daddy was killed. There was only one house left on strand and looking back from the waterway she could see houses up in trees. They looked like they had been placed there.  There were foundations of houses were left, appliances were in trees and furniture littering lots. The first paved road was completely washed away.

Her father was found with his pants rolled up and the ignition was turned on in his truck.  Betty was a senior in high school, but they were not released early from school.  Principal did not think it was going to be bad.  They had to sit in auditorium until the highway patrol released them. “It was really bad, flooded and at my mother’s house all of the trees were down in the yard. You just had to see it to believe it.”

Bullard, the son of Elmore Bullard and Roxie Campbell. was associated with his brother, L.S. Bullard, at Bullard Motor Company. He left behind his widow, the former Bessie Lee Worley, and a daughter Joan. Lea Thompson, granddaughter of Shelton’s cousin Les Bullard was at remembers being at the Bullard house when someone from the Sheriff’s office came to inform the family that Shelton has been found. Twenty-two years later Mrs. Bullard drowned while visiting Long Beach.

A year after Shelton Bullard’s death in the October 14, 1955 issue appeared the following remembrance:

In remembrance of our son
and brother, Shelton Bullard, who was

lost in Hurricane Hazel on October 15, 1954.

HIS MOTHER AND SISTERS

One year has passed since you left us
Sad was the shock of that day
You bade no one a last farewell
A last goodbye you could not say

Quick and sudden was the call
Your sudden death surprised us all
The shock was great, the blow severe
We little thought your death so near

Every day brings sad memories
Every memory brings a tear
Deep within our hearts we carry
Thoughts of one we love so dear

Gone is the face we loved so dear
Silent is the voice we love to hear
“Tis sad but true, we wonder why

So quickly and suddenly you had to die

What happy days we once enjoyed

When we were all together

But oh, how changed it all is now

Since you have gone forever

The depth of sorrow we cannot tell

Of the loss of one we loved so well

And while he sleeps a peaceful sleep

His memory we shall always keep

Memories are treasures none can steal

Death leaves a wound none can heal

They live with us in memory still

Not just today, but always will

You are gone, but not forgotten

Never will your memory fade

Loving thoughts will ever linger

‘Round the grave where you are load

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord

And let perpetual light shine upon him

May his soul rest in peace,

Amen

Justice Thurgood Marshall

During Hurricane Hazel the 11th annual convention of the North Carolina National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was being held in Lumberton. Over a three-day period 250 delegates met at the South Lumberton First Baptist Church and Sandy Grove Baptist Church. The guest speaker for Friday night was Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall who at the time was director and legal counsel for NCCAP New York City. The late Angus Boaz Thompson Sr. recalled that Marshall’s plane was late landing because of the storm conditions. The November 11, 1954 issue of Jet Magazine carried a photograph of Marshall in Lumberton with the headline Thurgood Conquers Hurricane. During the Friday night meeting, the hurricane knocked out the power but just like Marshall never let nothing stand in the way of his mission to bring equality to his people he didn’t let the lack of electricity stop him from spreading his message. The church was lite by candlelight as the crowds gathered to hear Marshall.

Much of my research comes from written sources mainly from newspapers like The Robesonian that luckily has been preserved. The first twenty-five years of the paper were destroyed when a downtown Lumberton fire destroyed the newspaper offices. We can only imagine what news was covered during those years that are lost forever. Many of the smaller newspapers in the county are completely lost like “The Maxton Blade” that was owned by African American Robert Russell. Russell’s daughter, Alice, was an actress and the wife of director Oscar Micheaux.

My other main sources for my research come from first-hand accounts often preserved in interviews, letters and diaries. It is so important that these resources that are in the hands of descendants be preserved for future use. If you or family members have these kinds of documents, I urge you to contact me or other local historians to help you make them available to researchers.