1913 Tornado - showing absence of Mr. Theo. Ringwalt's roof
Description
Black and white photograph (10.5 x 6 cm.) with a view of Theodore Ringwalt's house after it had been damaged by the tornado that hit Omaha, Nebraska in March, 1913. The walls of the house are in the foreground; the roof is gone. Ringwalt's house was located at 429 North 38th Avenue.
Few disasters have devastated Omaha as completely as the Easter Tornado of March 23, 1913. The storm descended with terrible force just after Easter services on Sunday evening. The tornado created a path of destruction seven miles long and a quarter mile wide. It killed 140 Omahans and injured 400 others. Theodore L. Ringwalt and his brother John R. Ringwalt were prominent insurance agents in Omaha. They specialized in fire insurance. The Ringwalt brothers were born in Pittsburgh and moved to Omaha in 1880. Theodore Ringwalt was married and had three daughters. Although their residence was extensively damaged in the Easter Tornado none of the family members were killed at that time; Theodore Ringwalt died three years later in 1916. John Ringwalt's son, Jack, also went into the insurance business, founding the National Indemnity Company and selling it in 1968 to Warren Buffett for 8.5 million dollars. John's other son, Arthur, worked in the diplomatic service, holding such posts as vice
