Berry Craig went to Mayfield for an ecumenical church service outside the destroyed Presbyterian church. While there, he took these pictures to share with us.
Contributor Berry Craig grew up in Mayfield, but moved to Arlington a few months ago. Today he traveled back for an ecumenical church service outside the destroyed Presbyterian church (the church of his youth). While there, he took these pictures to share with us.
I'm sure you've seen many aerial photos of the destruction in the city. But it's just different when taken at ground level ... especially by someone who knows the town like the back of his hand. And, who knows the backstory of many of the buildings and people there.
When Berry and his wife arrived in Mayfield, there were already a number of news outlets doing in-person coverage. This is just one of them, doing a stand-up in the middle of (on top of?) some of the devastation.
I've organized Berry's photos into a few categories, that I hope will tell a story of the power of the storm, the destruction that happened, and the clean-up and recovery that is already underway.
One other thing – there is a story on the site listing places you can donate to help with the relief and cleanup work. Please use one of those links to donate, even if you already have. The cleanup and recovery from this storm is going to be long and expensive.
The force of the storm
(From upper left) A snapped-off utility pole; a tree broken in two; debris blown into a tree; trees blown sideways; roofing material wrapped around a tree on Broadway
Destruction
(From upper left)1880s-vintage Graves County Courthouse; badly damaged downtown house; destruction on Broadway; car in ruins outside First Presbyterian; corner of 8th and Broadway; smashed mail truck; flag stuck on an overturned car; railroad tracks looking north from Broadway crossing; more downtown devastation
The churches
(From upper left)First Christian; view into the collapsed First Methodist sanctuary; St. Joseph Catholic; First Methodist; First Baptist; overturned First Baptist trailer; First Baptist parking lot; downed historical marker in front of First Presbyterian honoring the three members who have served in Congress; First Presbyterian Christian Education buildingFirst Presbyterian
Cleanup Begins
(From upper left)The American flag, damaged but still flying; employees of the destroyed Carr's Steakhouse provided free sandwiches and chips to workers and passersby; Broadway cleanup; cleanup crew at work; crews work to clear debris at 9th and Broadway; the Presbyterian church is to the left and the post office to the right; Greer Neon cleanup operations; lots of cleanup help and motorists viewing the damage; post office debris removal; workers clearing debris
The service
(From left)Rev. Milton West of First Christian leads an ecumenical worship service; the communion table in the midst of the destructionSome of the worshippers at the service
Berry Craig is a professor emeritus of history at West KY Community College, and an author of seven books and co-author of two more. (Read the rest on the Contributors page.)
