Letter from D. Carey "Murf" Polan to Judith Florian, December 21, 2008, one page, describing Camp Buffalo and the 1944 tornado:
"On June 23, 1944, while at a church retreat, he saw a dark, low-lying cloud moving shockingly fast through the ravine, its long, snake-like tail weaving drunkenly below it, sliding back and forth along the hillsides but always moving closer." (Quoted from a newspaper article "Survivors remember...")
I met D. Carey "Murf" Polan when I was a young teenager of about 14 years old when I attended a Youth For Christ meeting likely after a friend from Trinity High School, Jenny, talked about YFC. Jenny was one of YFC's Campus Singers.
After switching schools and moving toward graduation, I lost contact with "Murf." As often happens in life, people from our pasts drift into a grey zone; we remember past contacts from time to time but continue separate paths.
But sometimes, circumstances makes two lives intersect again.
In the early 1980s, I had tried a couple times to re-find Camp Adelawan which I had attended as a child. Someone told me it was near Turkeyfoot in the eastern part of the county; I never found it, and when life brought me to Ohio for a job I forgot about re-finding the camp.
But in the summer of 2008, I happened to mention to my older sister, Colleen, how I wished I could see Camp Adelawan. Colleen immediately replied, "It's near Sunset Beach Pool" and described a road "next to" Sunset. Her tip lead me to the western side of Washington County, to Sunset Beach Road just before the pool and east of the main area of Claysville PA.
Very quickly after identifying the Camp Adelawan location, I got interested in Camp Buffalo also--the boys YMCA camp and a counterpart to the YWCA Camp Adelawan. I couldn't help becoming interested; everyone I spoke to mentioned Buffalo and none knew about Adelawan. Almost every person brought up the tornado that had hit Buffalo in 1944. I had found some Charleroi PA newspaper articles about it, but I still listened to the stories. As an historian and genealogist eager to preserve people's stories, I can't turn off my listening skills just because I'm not getting the information about the 'right' camp.
However, while collecting Buffalo stories, I kept researching Adelawan. I wanted so badly to find a "Mrs. Fetherlin" that my sister remembered from camp days. I called one Fetherlin out in the Strabane area, but she had married into the family and she didn't know the Mrs. Fetherlin I sought. She'd also never heard of Camp Adelawan.
Yet, this woman quickly told me that she knew someone who survived Camp Buffalo's tornado! Once again, research led me to the boy's camp. I asked who, beginning to feel more interested. "His name is Murf," she said, "well, that's not his real name but his nickname."
"Murf Polan," I asked, surprised to hear a name from my past.
"Yes, that's him."
I asked if she could look in the phone book to see if he was listed; she took the time to find her directory and called me back almost immediately. Later, I called 'Murf' to ask questions and reminiscence. He offered to send me newspaper articles in which he'd been later interviewed about the tornado.
I still pursued other information, but now, about both camps. The Planning Commission sent me aerial maps clearly showing the camps, and a map made by the McGuffey School District that showed boxes for every building and shed at each camp.
I sent one of those maps to Murf, asking if he would identify the different buildings and camp areas. From various sources, I knew the camp had: a football "field" (a wilderness field they mowed for football camp), a gun and archery area, a pool later on, and of course the lodge and cabins. As well, Murf had told me of the traditional 'last day' bon fire area on a ridge overlooking Buffalo Creek and a local attorney told me how the boys "bivouacked" to set up a campsite of tents within the camp. And, I wanted to know if there had been any overhead sign announcing Camp Buffalo, like the one I remember at Camp Adelawan.
This letter from Murf describes what he remembers of the campsite, as he reviewed the McGuffey School District Map that I'd sent him. Murf also sent back his own hand-drawn map.
There was a covered bridge somewhere close (pictured on your map). The whole campsite was on a kind of plateau on top of a hill overlooking the entire area. That day [of the tornado] we had arrived there in the afternoon and the tornado happened toward evening so I don't remember a lot. I don't remember a sign [announcing the camp location] or the farm area nearby [Note: I'd asked if he remembered a farm a mile away where a nine-year-old girl was found rocking a baby sibling and where she had huddled with other younger siblings.]
I marked the path of the tornado with a red pen [on my map]. The cabin area, mess hall and pool were on the highest part of the campsite. We were playing 'catch' between the cabins when it started looking stormy. We then ran to the big mess hall for instructions, then [jumped, ran] off the porch and down to the trees as our leader directed us [i.e. Mr. Wilbur Baird, YMCA official].
It was downhill from there to the road and creek. We lay there holding onto the trees as the tornado passed over us, pelting us with rain and possibly hail. I know I had welts on my arms. As I looked up I saw that the whole camp was literally gone; the only thing left was the footer for the mess hall. Everything - cabins, cars, sheds, mess hall was gone. Only we kids were left and we walked what seemed like miles to a farmhouse where we stayed until school busses came to take us back to Washington. I didn't get home until midnight."
(signed) Murf
I will try sometime to scan the McGuffey map and Murf's hand-drawn map.
*11th in severity in US history, APPALACHIANS OUTBREAK
June 23, 1944
Affected West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland
Consisted of 4 tornadoes
Caused 153 deaths
Inflicted 846 injuries
Damage $5 million
Occurred from 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
From http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mkx/?n=torout
Sources:
Letter from D. Carey "Murf" Polan to Judith Florian, December 21,
2008, one page
The Observer-Reporter newspaper, Washington PA, "Sixty years later, survivors have vivid memories of killer storm." by Sarah E. Core, Staff Writer. 169th Observer-Reporter Edition, page A-1 and A-2.
The Observer-Reporter newspaper, Washington PA, "Ill wind changed local
man's life: Tornado 54 years ago started Youth For Christ leader on religious
course." Campbell, Christie. Washington, PA: The
Observer-Reporter, June 23, 2004.
The Charleroi Mail newspaper, Charleroi Pa., numerous articles.
Information from ex-Campers.
