The Stamford Historical Society
PHOTO ARCHIVIST’S SELECTION OF THE MONTH: OCTOBER 2002
…as we are still in the hurricane season
The Hurricane of '38 and the Floods of '54 and '55
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| Hurricane of 1938 images |
Flood of 1954 more |
Floods of 1955 more |
The Great New England Hurricane of September 1938 lives in history as the worst disaster for Connecticut in the 20th century. Not only was it a major storm producing more than 100 mph winds, but it caused enormous flooding. Prior rains on September 12 and 15 had raised the water levels, and a storm raging September 17 through 20 added another 6 inches or more of rainfall. Thus, when the hurricane hit on September 21, the water from the rains had nowhere to go. Add to that the fact that there was no effective hurricane warning system in place at the time, the combination of storm, floods, and the lack of preparedness, was devastating.
The storm is amply described on the Internet by The Hartford Courant: The Hurricane of 1938 [postscript: currently not available, but there is this], PBS: The Hurricane of '38 --The American Experience, and an electronic exhibition from the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut Libraries: "Going Beyond the Call: Southern New England Telephone's Response to Natural Disasters in Connecticut," The Hurricane of 1938. The Stamford Historical Society has a reference in Record Group RG-1.02, "Stamford Fire Department and Southend Fire Station."
Then there was Hurricane Carol, August 31, 1954. Though a Category III storm, it was the most destructive hurricane to strike Southern New England since the Hurricane of 1938; on September 11, Stamford barely escaped another one: Hurricane Edna moved up the coast just to the east of Carol's path and made landfall in Cape Cod, moving on into Maine and Southeastern Canada.
In the following year the region was hit by two storms within less than two weeks: The Floods of Hurricane Connie and Diane. Connie brought up to 6 inches of rainfall on August 11 and 12, 1955 and saturated the ground. River and reservoir levels rose well above normal levels. A week later, Diane pummeled the region for two days with rainfall up to 20 inches. Again, the Dodd Research Center has a story too, The Floods of 1955.
Researching the events on microfilm of the Stamford Advocate, in the Ferguson Library, was very interesting! The storms do not seem to have affected publishing the paper at all. And the day of the storm in '38 was also a very important day in history: Chamberlain negotiating with Hitler about Czechoslovakia! Different from today's way of reporting, each day had basically one huge article instead of breaking the story down. The devastations in the state and in New York got separate and extensive coverage also.
The floods brought amateur photographers out in droves, it seems: nothing is more interesting than a good disaster! The Stamford Historical Society's Photo Archive has a nice selection of photos and snapshots as a result.
Samplings are shown below and on Page2 and Page 3.
Page 1: The Great New England Hurricane of September 1938
Below are the Stamford related
headlines—one each—from the paper.
The larger headline though was this on the September 22:
Chamberlain in Reich To
Try Complete Hitler Deal
| September 22, 1938 (next to a series of photos) | September 23, 1938 |
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| George Hoyt, 70, Watchman, Killed by Swinging Gate Veteran Employee of Getman SCORES
OF FAMILIES Housed in South End Fire |
Stamford Damage Exceeds Millions As Water Subsides Tidal Wave Reached 14
Feet, OPEN
HOLES IN DYKE Drinking Water Held Safe by |
| excerpts from these stories and the editorials | |
Photos from our Collection
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| The South End – corner of Crosby Street and South Street (now Washington Boulevard) | Summer Street north of Hoyt Street |
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| Bedford Street looking south towards Broad Street | Truck smashed by a falling tree – Main Street |
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| South End – corner of Manor Street & Dyke Lane | |
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| Cedar Street | Yale & Town Manufacturing Company – Henry Street |
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| Ludlow Street | |
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| no location given | |
The Stamford Gas & Electric Company
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Walter Wheeler Collection — there are no descriptions
with the photos,
but they speak pretty much for themselves.
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| apparently, as a woman, you went to view the wreckage still properly dressed… | |
Other disasters: The Blizzard of 1888
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| Flood of 1954 more |
Floods of 1955 more |
© Stamford Historical Society
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Photo Collection Information
| Month | Title |
|---|---|
| January 2009 | High Ridge in the Snow |
| February 2009 | Blacksmiths in Stamford |
| March 2009 | Postcards: Hotels in Stamford |
| May 2009 | Farms in Stamford |
| Month | Title |
|---|---|
| May 2007 | The League of Women Voters and Harold I June, June 26, 1930 |
| June 2007 | Brownstones on Bell Street |
| July 2007 | The Nature Studies and Recreations of a Business Man |
| Month | Title |
|---|---|
| January 2003 | The Wardwell Homes on Elm Street |
| February 2003 | The Old Town Hall II |
| March 2003 | The Portable Typewriter and its Uses, 1913 |
| June 2003 | Wardwell Family Photos |
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Photo Collection Information