Rogers Island - Fort Edward, NY

Rogers Island - Fort Edward, NY. The Flood of 1913 and Concrete Barges. , The Hudson River several times threatened the existence of our community - floods occurred in 1833, 1843, 1869, 1893, and 1913. During the 1893 flood the lower part of the Island washed away., The flood in the spring of 1913 was the most disastrous one. The spring floods caused such a rush of water from the Adirondacks the dams along the river gave way. Residents of the Island section and the southern part of the village had to leave their homes when the International Paper Company Dam collapsed. The cry, 'The dam is out,' spread fear and consternation among the townspeople., The Hudson rose 22 feet above normal and great piles of logs belonging to the paper company were jammed against the railroad bridges. D and H gondola cars filled with iron ore were rolled upon both spans to add weight to the structures and to prevent their being swept away. River drivers with equipment of the day attempted to break the jam without success and were forced to resort to the use of dynamite. It has been estimated that roughly ly 200,000 logs were lost most of which floated out to sea., Property on the 'Island' was in great danger. Some homes were flooded to a depth of several feet and the occupants had to leave hurriedly. Few household goods could be moved and the losses were very great.” Narratives of Old Fort Edward, Anne E. Brislin., During World Wars I and II, while service flags with blue or gold stars appeared in the windows, those at home went 'all out' to preserve our heritage of freedom...” Narratives of Old Fort Edward, Anne E. Brislin., One of the very visible ways that the residents of Fort Edward worked to secure victory in World War I was the manufacturing of cement barges by Holler, Davis and Flood. This Hudson Falls headquartered company had 4 Building Ways (essentially dry docks) on the Island and could manufacture barges up to 150 feet weighing a maximum of 500 tons. The cement barges were used to transport war materiel during the war. Cement was used since it required less steel which was in short supply due to the war effort. The cement barges were built on the Island through 1919.