{"id":325,"date":"2018-04-02T19:59:19","date_gmt":"2018-04-02T19:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mosaics.dickinson.edu\/steelton2001\/?page_id=325"},"modified":"2018-04-03T19:28:07","modified_gmt":"2018-04-03T19:28:07","slug":"the-floods-of-steelton","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mosaics.dickinson.edu\/steelton2001\/student-projects\/the-land-of-steelton\/the-floods-of-steelton\/","title":{"rendered":"The Floods of Steelton"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"1936

The West Side during the ’36 Flood. Photograph from the John Yetter Collection, with permission from the Penn Cultural Center<\/p><\/div>\n

The Susquehanna River<\/a> has overflowed its banks longer than the town of Steelton has existed.\u00a0 This natural process has been a part of the history of the Susquehanna.\u00a0 The first recorded flood came in 1744, more than a century before the town of Baldwin (later renamed Steelton) was formed.\u00a0 Once people moved into this area, they had to cope with the irregularity of floods.\u00a0 During most flood years, the water level did not rise high enough in the town to create much economic or human loss.\u00a0 Many of the floods in the recorded history of Steelton have only affected the West Side<\/a>, due to its location near the river and its topographic level.\u00a0 Every once in a while, however, there came a flood that caused so much devastation that it was remembered vividly by those who had to endure it.\u00a0 Nonetheless, as some of the “old timers” will tell you, each flood has been unique.\u00a0 In some years, they had time to gather their possessions and tools in the mill and bring them to higher, safer elevations.\u00a0 During other times, the flood came as a surprise.\u00a0 No matter how and when the floods came, the residents seemed to have always helped one another to survive and rebuild.\u00a0 John Yetter described it best in his book Stop, Look, Listen: Steelton, Pennsylvania<\/em> “It seemed to prove beyond a doubt that people are much more compatible in adversity than they are in prosperity.”<\/p>\n

Below is information about some of the major floods in the area.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1889 (June)<\/strong> – Known simply as “The ’89 Flood,” it is remembered as creating some of the worst damage in history.\u00a0 The whole West Side and steel plant were under about ten feet of water.\u00a0 Many of the residents whose homes were under water were able to find shelter and food provided by other neighbors and churches in Steelton.\u00a0 The flood hit worst in Johnstown, another small steel town in Pennsylvania, taking more than 2,000 human lives.\u00a0 This picture shows some of the aftermath of the flood in the West Side.\u00a0 The logs floated from Williamsport, PA.<\/p>\n

\"1889

The Aftermath of the ’89 Flood’ in the West Side. Photograph from Stop, Look, Listen: Steelton, Pennsylvania<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

1894 (May)<\/strong> – The water level rose to 13 feet, causing great damage in Steelton.<\/p>\n

1902 and 1904<\/strong> – After two floods within a few years, many of the residents concluded that the railroad tracks next to the river were too low.\u00a0 They believed if the tracks were higher, than there would be fewer floods.\u00a0 It appeared that the tracks slowed the frequency of the floods, because the next floods were separated by about thirty years.\u00a0 The picture on the left shows Strine’s Hotel during one of the floods.\u00a0 The right picture shows some of the damage and debris from the floods.\u00a0 Both photographs are from Stop, Look, Listen: Steelton, Pennsylvania<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\t\t