Images of the Chappaqua Tornado, July 16, 1904
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At about 3 pm on July 16, 1904, a tornado dipped down in Chappaqua along Quaker Street, between present-day Gray Rock Lane and Dodge Farm. It destroyed the five homes, together with several barns and outbuildings. Much of the debris remained on site, but some was scattered over a distance of several miles. A savings passbook belonging to Warren Tompkins, whose ruined home is seen in the first photograph, was later found in northern Armonk.
A day after the storm, people from as far away as New York City converged on the scene, as seen in the upper left of the photograph. In the near foreground of the second photograph, taken from the front yard of the Charles Dodge house, which had escaped major damage, neighbor Harry Cronk saws up a fallen tree. Behind him is the horse and cart of Abram J. Quinby. He and his wife were probably looking after their daughter, who had witnessed the storm from the Dodge house, and gave birth to a baby girl there the next day.