Florence in Northampton in Hampshire County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
Mill River Flood
| | 150 Year Commemoration May 16, 1874 | |
Photographed by Marc Posner, June 16, 2024
1. Mill River Flood Marker
The sudden collapse of the Williamsburg dam in Western Massachusetts let loose a flood that swept away parts of Williamsburg, Skinnerville, Haydenville, and Leeds. It killed 139 people, all within an hour.
Park Street Cemetery, Florence
Though the flood destroyed bridges and damaged buildings along the river, it killed no one in Florence village. But Caroline "Carrie" Bonney, a worker at George P. Warner's Mill River Button Co., was one of the many people killed in Leeds, and was buried here alongside her father, who died when she was a small child. Carrie's widowed mother lived for another 47 years and would eventually join them.
Carrie Bonney, whose gravestone gives her age as 18, but who was actually 16, features in Nancy Meagher's book for children, Millicent and the Day it Rained Buttons.
Blue flags mark the graves of those who died in the flood or were celebrated heroes.
( photo caption )
Ruins of the Williamsburg Dam; Williamsburg Woodland Trails
Erected 2024 by Historic Northampton.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Disasters. A significant historical date for this entry is May 16, 1874.
Location. 42° 20.073′ N,
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Regionally, this marker is in Massachusetts’ Knowledge Corridor, in Pioneer Valley, and in Greater Springfield. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Basil C. Dorsey (within shouting distance of this marker); Florence Manufacturing (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Anti-Slavery Community (about 300 feet away); Entrepreneurs and Philanthropists (about 300 feet away); The Florence Eagles (about 300 feet away); Sojourner Truth (approx. 0.2 miles
Photographed by Marc Posner, June 16, 2024
2. Mill River Flood Marker
Photographed by Marc Posner, June 16, 2024
3. Park Street Cemetery
Credits. This page was last revised on July 15, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 11, 2024, by Marc Posner of Somerville, Massachusetts. This page has been viewed 291 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 11, 2024, by Marc Posner of Somerville, Massachusetts. 3. submitted on July 12, 2024, by Marc Posner of Somerville, Massachusetts. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.
