The YMCA Camp Buffalo endured a major tornado on the night of Friday, June 23, 1944, near or around dinner time. About 51 boys the Washington Presbyterian Society who were at their second annual camp at Camp Buffalo, plus the Camp Director and counselors, were at the camp at the time. Wilbur S. Baird, secretary of the Y. M. C. A. Camp, was credited with saving the boys by ordering them to run from the dining hall and throw themselves on the ground on the side of a hilly slope. While there were 100 deaths in Washington-Greene Counties, no campers died and only eight campers were slightly injured. However, the powerful tornado destroyed the entire campgrounds and all buildings were flattened and trashed. Buffalo Cemetery, to the south off of Route 40 West near Sunset Pool, had large monuments toppled. Farmlands and crops were completely destroyed, and livestock hurt or killed.
"Rich Kane, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service forecast office in
Pittsburgh" stated in 2005 that “Washington County has a history of significant severe weather which includes at least 10 tornadoes since 1880,” added Kane. “Among these were
the devastating F4 tornado which occurred June 23, 1944, and an F2 tornado which occurred June 30, 1990.
Since the early 1990s, the county has experienced over 70 floods, flash floods, and river floods. Washington County has had numerous river floods, including the historical flood event of Nov. 5, 1985, which produced a river crest at Charleroi, Pa., 14.7 feet above flood stage.”
[Itaclics added.]
I have ordered newspaper articles from Washington newspapers, but since they are not indexed the search will likely not give all articles concerning this event.
I found just six articles in The Charleroi Mail newspaper, Charleroi, PA.
If you have or find any articles, photos, or first-person accounts, please send them to me and I'll include them in this section.
Sources:
The Charleroi Mail newspaper, Charleroi PA, numerous articles.
