Today (May 18) is the 20th anniversary of the 1995 Deerfield-Ethridge Tornado.
On May 18, 1995, an F-4 tornado cut a huge, 29-mile path of destruction across Piney, Deerfield, Brace, and Ethridge, killing three and injuring 32.
The massive twister damaged or destroyed fifty houses and a dozen house trailers in Lawrence County. First responders had to temporarily shut down a full 1/3 of Lawrence County’s roads in the aftermath of the storm. Ethridge Elementary School was opened as a shelter to those left homeless by the tornado.
The same system of thunderstorms which spawned the Lawrence County tornado was responsible for the 5th largest tornado outbreak in Middle Tennessee history, with at least 14 other confirmed tornadoes in Middle Tennessee that day. These pictures are of the home of Doug and Martha Alley in Deerfield.
Their home–which was pushed from its foundation by the May 18 tornado and later had to be demolished–was one of the dozens of Lawrence County homes that suffered extensive damage from the tornado.
Photos from the collection of Clint Alley
Lawrence County History Trivia 
I remember very well losing contact with my parents on Kelso Road and Lawrence County and driving from Maury County to Deerfield. the roads were “near impassable” especially around Red Hill. sometimes going through ditches to avoid downed powerlines, we arrived in Deerfield, and both my parents were standing in their front yard. Minor
damage, there but one heckuva scare.
A day that i want forget, M y Sister and her Husband lost their lives in it, Connie Smith
I will never forget either I was in my home when it was destroyed in Deerfield