A tornado swept through Melrose Park, Bellwood and Maywood on Palm Sunday, March 28, 1920. The storm’s path destroyed at least 37 homes and at least 10 people died. Telegraph and telephone lines were down, the water supply crippled, greenhouses destroyed, schools damaged, and Sacred Heart Church was hit so hard the “huge iron church bell … was thrown one hundred feet.” The Forest Park Fire Department sent its Winston Chassis on its first emergency call to the scene, where firemen reported the water supply was so badly damaged they could not put out the house fires. Immediately, local Forest Parkers began collecting funds and resources to aid their neighbors in nearby villages and within days had pledges and gatherings totaling $10,000 in aid and relief.
Jill Wagner