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On that fateful early Saturday morning of May 16, 1874, in the hills, the Williamsburg Reservoir Dam gave way and the lives of the people of Williamsburg, Skinnerville and Leeds were changed forever. A wall of water rolled down the narrow Mill River riverbed all the way to Florence Meadows. The disaster killed 139 people, and left 150 families destitute (more than 710 people); it wiped out families, homes, livelihoods, factories and more, leaving a trail of the heartbreak and destruction. In Williamsburg, 57 people were killed; in Skinnerville 4 people died; in Haydenville, 27 and in Leeds, 51. It also called communities together—each person doing what was needed and neighbors reaching out to neighbors as people rebuilt their lives.

Of the 57 people lost in Williamsburg, 20 were male; 37 were female—and of those 19 were children or infants under 10. Such tragic loss. The first funerals were held the next day, a Sunday, outside the First Congregational Church on North Main Street. Three local ministers held the service for 9 victims. The hearses then proceeded up Village Hill Road for burial.

In Village Hill Cemetery, 11 gravestones still mark the places of 13 victims and two of the men who risked their lives to warn others of the impending danger, D. Collins Graves and Jerome E. Hillman. On a recent May afternoon I visited the stones of these victims and the two men, now marked with blue flags of remembrance:

  • William Adams
  • Josephine and Willie Adams
  • Spencer and Salome Bartlett
  • Sarah Hillman
  • Epaphroditus Hubbard
  • Elizabeth Kingsley
  • Electa Knight
  • Sarah Snow
  • James Stephens
  • William Henry Tilton
  • Jeremiah Ward

The cemetery is a beautiful oasis in town in all seasons. During May, walk through and stop to visit the victims and heroes of the 1874 Mill River Flood. May 2024 is a month of commemorative events that will remember the people and the towns that still bear the marks of this calamity. Up-to-the-minute information can be found at the web sites of both the Meekins Library and Historic Northampton. Daria D’Arienzo, Meekins Archivist and photographer. #throwbackthursday; #tbt.

Posted to Facebook 5/9/2024

a granite gravestone inscribed with multiple names and dates stands in a cemetery, with a small blue flag placed next to it. trees and additional gravestones are visible in the background.
a weathered gravestone in a cemetery stands next to a blue flag on a pole, surrounded by grass and other headstones under a cloudy sky.
a cemetery with multiple gravestones, an overcast sky, and a gravel path; some graves have blue flags and one has pink flowers. trees line the background.
a gravestone marked "electa knights" in a cemetery, with a blue flag on a pole next to it. other headstones and trees are visible under a cloudy sky.
a blue flag marks the grave of jeremiah ward in a cemetery with numerous headstones and trees in the background under a cloudy sky.
a weathered gravestone stands near purple flowers with a blue flag beside it in a cemetery, with more gravestones and trees in the background.
twin headstones in an old cemetery with worn inscriptions, accompanied by a blue flag on a pole, surrounded by other gravestones and trees under a cloudy sky.
a weathered gravestone in a cemetery stands next to a blue flag on a pole; other gravestones and trees are visible in the background.
old gravestone in a cemetery, marked by a tall pole with a small blue flag attached. other headstones and trees are visible in the background under a cloudy sky.
a gravestone marked "e.c. hubbard" stands in a cemetery with other headstones, a blue flag on a pole is placed next to it, trees and cloudy sky in the background.
an old, weathered gravestone with faded text stands next to a blue flag in a cemetery with many other headstones under a cloudy sky.
an old gravestone with weathered inscriptions stands in a cemetery, marked by a blue flag, with a red leaved tree and other headstones in the background.
a cloudy sky over an old cemetery, with weathered gravestones and blue flags marking specific graves on a grassy field.
three aged gravestones stand side by side, marked by blue flags, with more gravestones and a red house visible in the background.
village hill cemetery sign next to informational banners about the mill river flood, with a cloudy sky and headstones visible in the background.
a wide view of a cemetery with numerous gravestones, green grass, trees with spring foliage, and a cloudy sky in the background.