Tornado of 1858

April 10, 1858- Springfield, the county seat of Conway County, was visited by a tornado. The County Clerk's Office was unroofed and the county's books and papers damaged by rain, though known were blown away. Willbank's Tavern was unroofed and the windows broken out. The store house of Willbanks and Stell was unroofed, and the goods badly damaged; the store of Morgan and Moses, blown down and many goods destroyed. The old courthouse, two groceries, Judges Hamilton's residence, and nearly every other building in town, except the Blacksmith's shop and two lawyer's offices were blown down.

Abstracted and submitted from the Arkansas Gazette on 4-21-2001By Tracy Smith