'Lot Of Devastation': Historic, Century-Old Homes Damaged From Claremore Tornado

The path of a tornado can be wild and unpredictable, leaving some homes destroyed and others untouched. 

The storm that hit Claremore left a trail of disaster for miles and hit several historic homes that have been around for more than a century. 

People who have lived in Claremore for decades and even historians here don't know the last time a major tornado came through town, but this weekend's storm blew through historic neighborhoods and caused damage to homes like this one behind me that was built before statehood.

The swath of damage in Claremore is unmistakable after a tornado left trees mangled and homes shattered. 

"The huge trees that hit this house completely wiped out the wrap-around porch - it's gone," says Steve Robinson.

He says homes like the one built in 1902 were hit hard, but others were seemingly unscathed. 

"Lot of devastation there, our Mayberry home which is on the other corner, the Mayberry home is intact," he says. 

Robinson runs the Claremore Museum of History and says seeing beautiful homes trashed is heartbreaking.

"As a lover of history when I drive up and down the street, my heart sinks ... you're looking at homes and landscapes that are forever going to be changed now," says Robinson. 

"You can see the tree, most of the weight of the tree is resting on the roof of the house right here," Bill Drummond said. 

Drummond is a New England transplant whose first tornado experience resulted in a rattled home.

"We were watching Travis on the news and he was just saying this is a tornado when the wind speed was about 112 miles per hour," says Drummond.

He's working to restore this 117-year-old house and was in the middle of foundation work when the storm hit.

"Poor timing but who knew."

The timing is never right to lose cherished history to a chaotic storm.

"Where your heart sinks are historic items that are lost and can't be replaced," Steve Robinson said.

The Claremore Museum of History says if you are trying to rebuild a historic home in Claremore, they have old photos you can look at for reference.