Almost 94 years since it occurred, 30 years since the idea was first suggested, and a relatively short five-month span to put all the pieces in place will finally bring a memorial to all those who lost their lives in the Poplar Bluff tornado that devastated the downtown in May 1927.
The monument will be unveiled Saturday, May 8, on the property of the MO-ARK Regional Railroad Museum.
Even Katie Ray, who has headed up this effort, admits the new timeline to have this all completed might seem ambitious, but that day would be the perfect day for the reveal. The tornado struck May 9, 1927.
“It will be almost 94 years to the day when the tornado struck,” she said. “We’re going to have a ceremony with music, a few light refreshments, and a few speakers.”
This project began five years ago when Ray was speaking with Shon Griffin, who worked at the city library, and he brought up the idea of creating a memorial for the victims of this pivotal event in Poplar Bluff history.
Ray decided to try to compile a list of names of all the victims, which led to the publication of her book about the Poplar Bluff tornado. At least 86 people died in the tornado, which cut a swath through downtown Poplar Bluff turning much of the business district to rubble.
While doing research on the tornado, she spoke with Jay Githens, who owned property downtown and had broached the idea of a memorial on his property 30 years ago. The project had never come to fruition.
But the idea, first suggested by Griffin and reinforced by the original idea by Githens, began to germinate in Ray’s brain.
“Jay and I had talked about it a couple of times and in January we revisited the idea of the monument,” Ray said. “We started working in earnest to get that done.”
The project received funds from the Butler County Historical Society, which allowed Ray to order the granite. Location approval has also been given by the city council, the Poplar Bluff Historic Preservation Commission and MO-ARK Regional Railroad Museum board.
“We’ve been able to get this done in a very short time once we began the process,” Ray said.
The memorial was now on the fast track to completion. Steve Gillihan, owner of Poplar Bluff Monument Works was contacted sometime in 2020 and he submitted different concepts and ideas for the memorial. Once all the hurdles had been cleared and the location was secured, the final design was approved.
Designed in a teardrop shape with a square base, the memorial will be 5 feet wide, 16 inches deep, and nearly 7 feet tall.
It is being carved out of Missouri red granite and will have information about the tornado, as well as information about the memorial on the front, with the names of all the victims on the back. The base will list all the donors that made the project possible.
Ray has dedicated herself to making sure this particular episode in Poplar Bluff’s history is never forgotten and this monument is the latest addition in her mission to remind the town and everyone who visits of the day when the city suffered the worst disaster imaginable. A day that truly should never be forgotten.
Joyanne Githens Bates, the Butler County Historical Society, Cape Electrical Supply, Larry & Ann Cotrell, Ron & Laura Dowd, Edmundson, Innes & Warren Law Firm, LLC., Jay & Terry Githens, Rose Anne Barbour Huck, Larry Hillis Dodge, Dr. & Mrs. John R. Loughead, Becky W. McRoberts & Charlotte W. Craig, Steve & Kati Ray, Scott & Erin Sanders, John R. Stanard, Janie Barbour Walters, Angela & Greg West, Bonnie Gray Wolpers Family, and Emily Kinder Wolpers made sure the funds were available to provide the community with a permanent reminder and honor the dead from a dark day in Poplar Bluff so many years ago.