On the Fourth of July in the year 1898, a freak storm struck Hampton Beach causing nine deaths, many more injuries, and property damage in the thousands of dollars. For more about this terrible and sudden event, read the stories below:

• Cyclone at Hampton
  The Chronicle, July 5 and 6, 1898

  The Ruins at Hampton Beach

  Boston Herald, July 5, 1898, with sketches.

  Two Recent Tornadoes

  New England Magazine, 1904

  40th Anniversary Of July 4th Tornado

  The Hampton Union & Rockingham County Gazette, July 7, 1938

  The Big Tornado of 1898

  By James W. Tucker, "Our Town" column,
  

  Hampton Union, Nov. 15, 1951

  Hampton Beach Swept by Tornado!

  The Beachcomber, July 9, 1976

  The story of the tornado from Peter E. Randall's Hampton: A Century of Town and Beach, 1888-1988
  

  Chapter 2 -- Part 3.

  Tornado Kills Nine At Hampton Beach In 1898

  Hampton Union, May 30, 2006

  Was Deadly Hampton Beach 'Tornado' Actually A Microburst?

  A special WMUR-TV video report broadcast in November 2011