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, Skinnrville, Haydenville, and Leeds. It killed 139 people, all within an hour.
A Tangle of Bridges
The flood ripped the iron bridge at West Street from its piers and carried it downstream where it pushed aside the New Haven and Northampton Railroad bridge and finally came to rest on one of the South Street bridge's wooden underpinnings (pictured here). The engineer of an approaching locomotive saw that the tracks were gone, stopped the train, and backed up to the station. In 1874 the Mill River ran through town, just on the south side of the bike path. The river was rerouted to its present location after the 1936 flood.
Erected 2024 by Historic Northampton. (Marker Number 3.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Disasters. A significant historical date for this entry is May 16, 1874.
Location. 42° 19.005′ N, 72° 37.901′ W. Marker is in Northampton, Massachusetts, in Hampshire County. It is at the intersection of Old South Street and Crafts Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Old South Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Roundhouse Plaza, Northampton MA 01060, United States of America. Touch for directions.
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 the North Atlantic Region, 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
this page online
Photographed by Marc Posner, June 16, 2024
2. Mill River Flood Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 15, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 12, 2024, by Marc Posner of Somerville, Massachusetts. This page has been viewed 247 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 12, 2024, by Marc Posner of Somerville, Massachusetts. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.
