BRANDENBURG (04/03/24) – A memorial service was held at the First Baptist Church in Brandenburg on Wednesday to honor the victims of the April 3rd, 1974 tornado that left 31 dead and devastated the downtown. The church site, then known as Phillips Memorial, was in the twister’s path and was leveled as the F5 tornado- the only one record in Kentucky to date- cut through the downtown. Survivors of the tornado shared their recollections of the day, and the names of those killed were read and a bell tolled in their honor.
The storm originated near McQuady, but missed Hardinsburg and grazed Irvington before intensifying and heading into Meade County.
Doyle Cunningham was an on-air announcer for the former WHIC Radio Station; he recalls the first word he received of the tornado…
After storm left Irvington, leaving F3 level damage, the tornado intensified as moved into Meade County, later categorized as an F5, the only such storm to ever hit Kentucky to this day.
Former Courier-Journal writer Byron Crawford was a reporter for WHAS Radio and Television that day…
While Xenia, Ohio lost more people that day, many of the town’s 17-hundred people were impacted, and more from just one angle…
Bill Corum speaking with Lee Bramlett back in 1994. The town was rebuilt, with the courthouse moved from by the Ohio River after being heavily damaged to a new location on the West Hill section, also devastated by the tornado. A memorial honoring the victims was placed in front of the building.
