From collection Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Company Collection
Havener Place Before and after Cyclone, May 22, 1921, Searsport, Maine (Photo by Cook)
In this image a man and a woman inspect the damage to the Havener House, formerly the Phineas Pendleton House, on West Main Street. According to the historical marker standing opposite the property, "It was about 1:30pm, a hot still afternoon. Thunder clouds built up rapidly. A black funnel cloud appeared northwest of town. The air was full of dust and flying debris. The 1859 Phineas Pendleton House across the street was lifted eight inches in the air and dropped back on the foundation. The cyclone took the steeple off the Methodist Church, threw a cow in to the bay, and picked up a barn, leaving the car inside. All this is among other strange happenings before moving out to sea and causing a water spout 50 feet high." The May 26, 1921 issue of The Republican Journal of Belfast reported " Searsport was visited Sunday afternoon by a genuine cyclone, the like of which was never known in this locality..." Many other Searsport structures were devastated by the cyclone as it moved in a sweeping arc from the northwest. As the storm moved out to sea, it did extensive damage to the docks at Mack's Point, which was estimated to run into the thousands of dollars, a substantial amount of money at that time. Amazingly, there were no fatalities and only a few serious injuries during the cyclone. A later article reported that no one was home at the Havener house when the storm struck. The next week's paper, on June 2, mentions the receipt of a telegram by Mr. and Mrs. L.C. Havener in Worcester, MA, informing them "of the destruction of their summer home by the cyclone of May 22."
