Mill River Flood 150 Year Commemoration Event Schedule
All Events are Free and Open to the Public
May 16, 1874
The sudden collapse of the Williamsburg dam in western Massachusetts let loose a flood that swept
away parts of Williamsburg, Skinnerville, Haydenville, and Leeds. It killed 139 people, all within an hour.
It was the first major dam disaster in the U.S.
away parts of Williamsburg, Skinnerville, Haydenville, and Leeds. It killed 139 people, all within an hour.
It was the first major dam disaster in the U.S.
A working group from across the Mill Valley has planned these events
to remember the disaster and honor the victims.
to remember the disaster and honor the victims.
The Mill River Flood 150 Year Commemoration
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Cascade of Bells
May 16, 2024, starting at 12:10 pm
Listen to the relay of church bells from Williamsburg to Northampton, ringing a total of 139 times, once for each flood victim.
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Floods Past and Present
John Sinton and Gaby Immerman
May 16, 2024 | 5:00 to 6:30 pm
Grow Food Northampton Community Farm,
Florence, Mass. John Sinton and Gaby Immerman of the Mill River Greenway will lead a discussion on the natural and human-driven hydrologic cycles of life on a floodplain farm. From the era of Glacial Lake Hitchcock through 10,000 years of Indigenous land stewardship, to the colonial era, and to our current period of global warming, attendees will reflect on the natural cycle of flooding along the Mill River.
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The Mill River flowing under the bridge on Mulberry
Street in Leeds during flooding in 2023. Photograph by Carol Lollis, Daily Hampshire Gazette. |
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The 1874 Mill River Flood
A Talk by Eric Weber
May 16, 2024 | 7:00 pm
Social Hall, First Congregational Church of Williamsburg
4 North Main Street, Williamsburg, Mass. Mill River Flood historian Eric Weber will give a public lecture on the 150th anniversary of the Mill River disaster. For decades, Weber has searched archives and libraries to locate all photographic stereoscopic cards made of the destruction. Over 450 different stereoviews were marketed to the American public, which was eager for news of the catastrophe. Based upon the photographic record, Weber has a detailed knowledge of the path of the flood.
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James' Mill, Williamsburg, showing wash-out in road
Views of the Flood in Mill River Valley Photographed and published by the Knowlton Brothers. |
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Commemoration of the
Mill River Flood May 18, 2024 | 2:00 pm
First Congregational Church of Williamsburg
4 North Main Street, Williamsburg, Mass.
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George Cheney on his horse
Views of the Flood in Mill River Valley Photographed and published by the Knowlton Brothers. |
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Leeds Commemoration Gathering
May 19, 2024 | 1:00 pm
Church lawn, 195 Main Street, Leeds, Mass.
There will be a recounting of Myron Day’s heroic ride warning Leeds, a reading of the names of the 51 Leeds victims, and the performance of an original song by John Daniel.
River-inspired art pieces by Leeds artists, original illustrations from Millicent and The Day it Rained Buttons by Nancy Meagher, and an art piece made by the Leeds After School Enrichment River Arts Club will be on display. A memorial tree will be planted to honor Myron Day. |
View of the destruction in Leeds
from a stereoscopic card. |
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Who Was Responsible for the
Mill River Disaster? May 31, 2024 at 7:00 pm
June 1, 2024 at 1:00 pm and at 4:00 pm Old Hampshire County Courthouse,
99 Main Street, Northampton, Mass. A readers’ theatre presentation about the coroner’s inquest into the cause of the Mill River disaster will take place in Hampshire County’s historic courtroom. The audience will be invited to participate by reading some of the testimony and commentary from the inquest. Elizabeth Sharpe, author of In the Shadow of the Dam: The Aftermath of the Mill River Flood of 1874, will narrate.
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Ruins of the west bank of the Williamsburg Reservoir, Views of the Flood in Mill River Valley
Photographed and published by the Knowlton Brothers. |
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Guided Walks to the Dam Ruins
in Williamsburg Returning in September 2024
Historians, naturalists, and engineers will lead walks and discuss the design and construction of the dam, the dam break, and the changes in the natural landscape.
The trail is approximately 1.5 miles total, of moderate difficulty, with some steep, slippery and rugged portions. Registration is required. Each hike is limited to 20 participants. |
Reservoir showing East Wall
Views of the Flood in Mill River Valley Photographed and published by the Knowlton Brothers |
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Follow the Flood - 76 Historic Markers and Online Story Map
May and June
An interactive, online story map, designed and hosted by Smith College, will show the length of the Mill River, the span of the flood, and the locations of 76 historical markers that describe what happened at each site. Markers will be posted in the villages of Williamsburg, Haydenville, Leeds, Florence, and Northampton and at victims’ graves in five cemeteries. The markers will be on display throughout summer 2024.
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A series of commemorative site markers will be available
on an online map and at sites in the villages. |
Videos about the Flood
May and June 2024
Historic Northampton, 46 Bridge Street, Northampton, Mass.
Wednesday - Sunday, 12 noon to 4:00 pm
Wednesday - Sunday, 12 noon to 4:00 pm
Visitors to Historic Northampton can select from among five videos about the disaster, its impact, and its artistic representations, including the 18-minute 1993 film by Art Donahue for Chronicle, WCVB-TV Channel 5 Boston.
Photo Exhibit in Former Faces Store Windows
175 Main Street, Northampton, Mass.
175 Main Street, Northampton, Mass.
Large historic photographs show the path of destruction from Williamsburg to Northampton.
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Paintings by Frances Kidder
Mill River Disaster of 1874 May 1 - May 31, 2024
Meekins Library, Neil Hammer Gallery,
2 Williams Street, Williamsburg, Mass. Frances Kidder's paintings of the Mill River Disaster will be on exhibit at the Neil Hammer Gallery at Meekins Library. Living beside the Mill River in Williamsburg, Kidder was moved to create artwork as "an elegy to those who suffered."
Gallery Talk by Frances Kidder
May 11, 2024 at 1 pm Meekins Libary |
Haydenville Boarding House
by Frances Kidder |
Artwork and Poetry Exhibit by Dunphy School 3rd Graders
Curated by Nancy Meagher
May 1 - May 31, 2024
Meekins Library, 2 Williams Street, Williamsburg, Mass.
Artifacts pulled from the Mill River after the 1874 Flood inspired ten third graders in Nicole Derby’s classroom at Anne T. Dunphy School to learn about local history. Their research and the artwork and writing they created helped them to further understand the Mill River’s history, and its connection to the production of silk thread, brass faucets, buttons, and more. Enjoy an exhibit of their artwork and writing at the Meekins Library during the month of May.
Artwork by Grade 3, Anne T. Dunphy School, Williamsburg
Flood Memorial Tree Project
May 2024 - 2029
A total of 144 trees (one for each of 139 victims and five heroes) will be planted along the river as a living memorial. Each tree will be dedicated to an individual flood victim, the entire family that perished, or a hero of the day. The plantings will take place over five years as the Mill River Greenway shared-use path along the river is developed.
Two red maples will be planted at the Williamsburg Church on May 18, 2024 for the first two victims
of the flood: Sarah Collyer Bartlett, age 24 and her daughter Viola Collyer, age 3.
of the flood: Sarah Collyer Bartlett, age 24 and her daughter Viola Collyer, age 3.
Events Designed by These Local Organizations
Historic Northampton | Leeds Civic Association | Smith College Department of Landscape Studies
Thank you to our sponsors for their generosity
Smith College | Leeds Civic Association
Holmberg & Howe Land Surveyors | Loven Excavating & Construction, Inc.
National Grid | Whalen Insurance | Finck & Perras Insurance Agency | Florence Bank
Daily Hampshire Gazette | Nasami Farm | Arthur King Fund | Greenfield Savings Bank
Berkshire Design Group, Inc. | O'Reilly Talbot & Okun Associates, Inc. | Florence Casket Company