Brentwood Man Recalls 1958 Tornado That Blew Pigeons Into St. Mary Magdalen

Brentwood native Charles Stefani recalls a tornado that went through Mid-County in the spring, 1958.

"Two blocks from me was a house. Back then, all the houses in Rock Hill had to be brick. It just picked up the bricks and all moved it about three blocks away," Stefani said. "We came out of it OK"

"Then I made the rounds to see if my different relations in Brentwood were alright," he said. "They didn’t have any power. Of course, we didn’t have any power either."

He said It came about 5 a.m., and blew pigeons sitting outside Mary Magdalen right through the glass and into the church.

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"It came across Brentwood, then from Brentwood and Manchester, it went to the Arena, then from there it cut across to a little entertainment section that used to have a crystal palace," Stefani said. It blew part of the roof and the antenna off Channel 2, down by the Arena, he said.

"We moved to Rock Hill in ’51. There was nothing around us except truck gardens," he said.

"I don’t go down into the basement (in storms) now," he said. "If it’s time to go, it goes."

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