Sneed is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

Jackson County, Arkansas Jackson County is located in the Arkansas Delta in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The county is named for Andrew Jackson, a national hero during the War of 1812. By the county's formation in 1829, Jackson had become the seventh President of the ...

, United States. On April 10, 1929, an

F5 tornado The Fujita scale (F-Scale; ), or Fujita–Pearson scale (FPP scale), is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is determ ...

destroyed the town, killing 23 people.

History

William Sneed and his family moved from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

and settled here following the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

. Sneed Church and Sneed School were located next to each other in this rural farm community.

1929 tornado

In the late afternoon of April 10, 1929, an F5 tornado, the highest rating on the

Fujita scale The Fujita scale (F-Scale; ), or Fujita–Pearson scale (FPP scale), is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is deter ...

, struck northern Jackson County—the only tornado of this intensity ever documented in Arkansas. Many residents saw the tornado approach and took shelter in storm cellars, under a road bridge, in a barn, or in a chicken house. The tornado is believed to have begun about south of Batesville in

Independence County Independence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,647. The county seat is Batesville. Independence County is Arkansas's ninth county, formed on October 20, 1820, from a port ...

. It then crossed into Jackson County in the Black River bottoms, likely north of Centerville. The tornado's maximum intensity was reached near Pleasant Valley (also known locally as Possum Trot), and then moved east to Sneed. Both Pleasant Valley and Sneed were almost completely destroyed by what witnesses described as a wide tornado. The tornado began to weaken after it passed and then moved southeast of

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. Roads were blocked by large timbers and other debris, and the tornado's heavy rains made them very muddy, hindering rescue efforts. The death toll was listed at 23, and many others were seriously injured. A makeshift morgue was set up in Swifton. All that remains today of Sneed is a clearing where the school and church formerly stood.

References

Ghost towns in Arkansas Geography of Jackson County, Arkansas F5 tornadoes Natural disaster ghost towns {{JacksonCountyAR-geo-stub

History

1929 tornado

See also

References