Marker Inscription
A cyclone, considered one of the two most disastrous in Texas history, struck Goliad on Sunday, May 18, 1902. The twister touched down on the south side of the San Antonio River at 3:35 p.m. Sounding like a heavily loaded freight train, the storm ripped a mile long, half-mile wide path across the northwest section of town, destroying over 100 homes and leaving an official death toll of 114. At least 50 members of a black Methodist church died when their sanctuary was razed. After the disaster, the Goliad County courthouse served as a temporary hospital and morgue. (1978) Incise in base: Marker sponsor: Goliad Rotary Club, 1978
About this site
Goliad Tornado of 1902 is a historical marker in Goliad, Goliad County, dedicated in 1978. It is one of 34 historical markers documented in Goliad County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 86 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 28.6670, -97.3924 near Goliad. The nearest cataloged historic site is Goliad County Courthouse (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Hanging Tree, The, Regulators of Goliad County, and Santa Anna's Surrender Ratified.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5175002207. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
