Historian Shares Rare Images of 1967 Oak Lawn Tornado: REPLAY

OAK LAWN, IL -- Kevin Korst, local history manager for the Oak Lawn Public Library, shared rare photos of the infamous tornado that destroyed half the village, killed 33 souls and injured scores of residents on April 21, 1967. The presentation Monday evening was a special commemorative program paying homage to the 50th anniversary of the the worst tornado ever to strike the Chicago area. Many residents who survived the tornado as children are now in the 50s and 60s.

Some of the photos, many of them never seen before, are from the library’s vast photo archive of over 1,000 images of the infamous Oak Lawn Tornado. The program complements the library’s current exhibit “Voices of the Wind,” commemorating the tornado’s 50th anniversary that is currently on view through April 21, 2018. The exhibit includes over 200 photos, news accounts and interviews with survivors and first responders.

Patch was on hand to catch the program. If you weren’t able to watch it on Facebook Live, you can watch a replay of the presentation or catch it on Oak Lawn Patch Facebook.