McCook Field in Dayton in Montgomery County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

After the Flood

Photographed by Pete Skillman, June 26, 2025

1. After the Flood Marker

Inscription.

After the Flood. . The Great Flood of 1913 devastated Dayton's infrastructure more than any of the other floods had done. It left roadways in a state of disrepair and washed away railroad bridges. The Miami Erie Canal aqueduct was severely damaged. Citizens had been debating on filling the poorly maintained canal before the flood. With the damage it caused, the flood abruptly brought the canal era to an end.

The newly constructed concrete arch bridges on Main Street, Dayton View, Washington Street, Third Street, and Stewart Street fared well in the face of disaster. As Dayton and its citizens mapped out the city's future, new concrete arch bridges featured prominently in the plans. The first of the new generation of concrete arch bridges to be constructed was the Webster Street Bridge over the Mad River in 1916.

1921

Ohio's decade for arch bridge construction begins. Over 80 percent of highway bridges built during this time were concrete arch

1925-1926

Findlay Street concrete arch bridge constructed
Island Park (Helena Street) concrete arch bridge opens to traffic
Veterans Memorial Bridge over Wolf Creek completed

1926

Dayton's first Comprehensive City Plan is enacted by the City. The plan includes filling the Miami Erie Canal to construct the future Patterson Boulevard

1930

Dayton's population is over 200,000 at the onset of the Great Depression

1931

Keowee Street-North Ridge concrete arch bridge, Dayton's last of the era, constructed over Mad River

1931

The era of concrete arch bridge construction in Dayton and Ohio comes to an end as the Great Depression strains the city's finances

1938

Patterson Boulevard opens to traffic

1940s-1960s

Dayton's concrete arch bridges show signs of age and are systematically repaired

1949-1950

Third Street Concrete Arch Bridge becomes the first of its type in Dayton to be replaced with a new bridge

1953

City of Dayton lays out a Comprehensive Plan, only the second after the 1926 plan

1950-1956

City Report on the Bridges of Dayton lists 29 bridges, of which 10 are filled spandrel concrete arch types

(Caption):

Washington Street Concrete Arch Bridge seen in the aftermath of the Great Flood of 1913 (Courtesy, Dayton Metro Library)

The Great Flood of 1913 devastated Dayton's infrastructure more than any of the other floods had done. It left roadways in a state of disrepair and washed away railroad bridges. The Miami Erie Canal aqueduct was severely damaged. Citizens had been debating on filling the poorly maintained canal before the flood. With the damage it caused, the flood abruptly brought the canal era to an end.

The newly constructed concrete arch bridges on Main Street, Dayton View, Washington Street, Third Street, and Stewart Street fared well in the face of disaster. As Dayton and its citizens mapped out the city's future, new concrete arch bridges featured prominently in the plans. The first of the new generation of concrete arch bridges to be constructed was the Webster Street Bridge over the Mad River in 1916.

1921

Ohio's decade for arch bridge construction begins. Over 80 percent of highway bridges built during this time were concrete arch

1925-1926

Findlay Street concrete arch bridge constructed
Island Park (Helena Street) concrete arch bridge opens to traffic
Veterans Memorial Bridge over Wolf Creek completed

1926

Dayton's
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first Comprehensive City Plan is enacted by the City. The plan includes filling the Miami Erie Canal to construct the future Patterson Boulevard

1930

Dayton's population is over 200,000 at the onset of the Great Depression

1931

Keowee Street-North Ridge concrete arch bridge, Dayton's last of the era, constructed over Mad River

1931

The era of concrete arch bridge construction in Dayton and Ohio comes to an end as the Great Depression strains the city's finances

1938

Patterson Boulevard opens to traffic

1940s-1960s

Dayton's concrete arch bridges show signs of age and are systematically repaired

1949-1950

Third Street Concrete Arch Bridge becomes the first of its type in Dayton to be replaced with a new bridge

1953

City of Dayton lays out a Comprehensive Plan, only the second after the 1926 plan

1950-1956

City Report on the Bridges of Dayton lists 29 bridges, of which 10 are filled spandrel concrete arch types

(Caption):

Washington Street Concrete Arch Bridge seen in the aftermath of the Great Flood of 1913 (Courtesy, Dayton Metro Library)

Topics. This historical marker is

After the Flood Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Pete Skillman, June 26, 2025

2. After the Flood Marker - wide view

listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Disasters.

Location. 39° 46.081′ N, 84° 11.01′ W. Marker is in Dayton, Ohio, in Montgomery County. It is in McCook Field. It is on Webster Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 553-505 Webster St, Dayton OH 45402, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Miami Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest

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 Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Parks by the River (here, next to this marker); Dayton and its Bridges 1938 (here, next to this marker); Bridges Under the Water (here, next to this marker); Bridges for a New Era (here, next to this marker); A City Upon Rivers (here, next to this

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marker); Josef Melan and The Melan System of Bridge Construction in America (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Webster Street Bridge Over Mad River (about 300 feet away); Dayton's New Bridges 2017 (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dayton.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. This page has been viewed 104 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 30, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.