May 16, 1874, marked a watershed in the history of Williamsburg. On that morning, the poorly constructed and neglected Williamsburg Reservoir Dam gave way—and a wall of water moved with lightning speed down the narrow Mill River riverbed all the way to Florence Meadows, killing 139 people, and wiping out homes and factories on its banks. Elizabeth Sharpe, in her riveting book, “In the Shadow of the Dam”, tells the stories of this disaster—the background, the calamity, the heartbreak, the heroes and the people, whose lives were changed forever.
May 2024 is a month of commemorative events that will remember the people and the towns that still bear the marks of this calamity. From a memorial multi-town cascade of bells on May 16 to honor the victims of the flood, to two powerful commemorative events on May 18 and May 19 in Williamsburg and Leeds, to talks and presentations by local historians, to an interactive story map with historical markers, to hikes to the site of the dam, to visits to the local cemeteries where the victims are buried, to exhibitions of works by local artists and school children, the month is packed with events that bring the community together. Up-to-the-minute information can be found at the web sites of both the Meekins Library and Historic Northampton.
Want to know more about the 1874 flood? The Meekins Library has multiple copies of the book “In the Shadow of the Dam” ready to borrow. In addition to the regular book, you will find at the library the 2006 Burgy Reads audio recording of the book by community members: Elizabeth M. Sharpe (Prologue and Epilogue); Ralmon Black (Chapter 1 – The Mill Valley); Pam Acheson (Chapter 2 – Building the Williamsburg Dam; Chapter 7 – The Verdict); James Parsons (Chapter 3 – The Flood); Eric W. Weber (Chapter 4 – The Aftermath); Jim Locke (Chapter 5 – Rebuilding); Mary Bisbee (Chapter 6 – The Inquest); Lisa Wenner (Chapter 8 – The Change).
And there is more. Edward Jacob’s 1999 volume “One Morning in May: The Mill River Disaster of 1874” is available for readers of all ages. Elizabeth Sharpe’s April 2006 talk “On the Eve of Destruction” is available on DVD, as is the May 1993 WCVB Boston television program “Chronicle: Mill River Disaster”.
Artist Fran Kidder’s book, “The Mill River Flood”, full of illustrations of her powerful paintings and artist Nancy Meagher’s illustrated book (and video) about the flood, created especially for children, “Millicent and the Day it Rained Buttons: A Mill River Fish Tale”, are both here at Meekins.
Check out additional digital and online materials, like the original 1874 dam failure engineering report, the Williamsburg Flood Chorus May 2006 performance, with an introductory talk, “The Legacy of the Flood” by Elizabeth Sharpe, or the 2016 Hilltown Charter School’s play “The Mill River Flood”—all through the Meekins website resources, About Williamsburg and Haydenville.
On a sunny day you can walk the 1.5-mile Williamsburg Woodland Trails Historic Dam Trail in the woods north of Williamsburg. You can also follow the path of the flood with the self-guided Historic Mill River Tour, created by the Mill River Greenway Initiative and Smith College.
For those who want to own the book or a poster of the path of the flood, Meekins also has copies of “In the Shadow of the Dam” and a facsimile of the 1874 “Harper’s Weekly” illustration available for sale at special anniversary prices. Visit the Meekins Local History area in person or virtually, as you explore more about the 1874 flood. Daria D’Arienzo, Meekins Archivist. #throwbackthursday; #tbt.
Posted to Facebook 5/2/2024
