Jeffersonville in Clark County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Historic Flood of 1937
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, November 26, 2021
1. Historic Flood of 1937 Marker
Inscription.
Historic Flood of 1937. . In January 1937 the Ohio River flooded, causing damage to nearby towns in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. At one point during the crisis, the entire river, 981 miles long, was above floodstage. Thousands of people lost their homes, and hundreds died. Relief workers were sent into the afected regions, including around one thousand WPA workers sent to Jeffersonville. The flood caused an estimated $13 million in damage in six indiana counties. Most of Jeffersonville was underwater, including roads and railroad traeks leading out of town. Wilmer T. Fox wrote that "the water was over the sidewalk flowing down the driveway into our basement and the following morning at four o'clock it commenced to go over our lower floor, finally reaching a point only eight inches from the ceiling.", Source: Indiana Historical Society - Jeffersonville Flood Collection, 1937
In January 1937 the Ohio River flooded, causing damage to nearby towns in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. At one point during the crisis, the entire river, 981 miles long, was above floodstage. Thousands of people lost their homes, and hundreds died. Relief workers were sent into the afected regions, including around one thousand WPA workers sent to Jeffersonville. The flood caused an estimated $13 million in damage in six indiana counties. Most of Jeffersonville was underwater, including roads and railroad traeks leading out of town. Wilmer T. Fox wrote that "the water was over the sidewalk flowing down the driveway into our basement and the following morning at four o'clock it commenced to go over our lower floor, finally reaching a point only eight inches from the ceiling."
Source: Indiana Historical Society - Jeffersonville Flood Collection, 1937
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Disasters.
Location. 38° 16.318′ N, 85° 44.625′ W. Marker is in Jeffersonville, Indiana, in Clark County. It is at the intersection of West Maple Street
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and Mulberry Street, on the right when traveling west on West Maple Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Jeffersonville IN 47130, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Indiana. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Ohio River Valley, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 30, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 26, 2021, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 557 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 26, 2021, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
