Portsmouth 1937 Flood, Garber and Sheehan in boat photograph   Save
New Deal
Description: Photo titled: "Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink." The caption reads: "Portsmouth as it looked to J. Otis Garber, deputy administrator of WPA in Ohio, left, and City Manager Frank E. Sheehan, during the 1937 flood. To prevent a recurrence of the water famine WPA workmen have completed a high futy water works which will function at a 90-foot flood stage. The 1937 flood reached a height of 74 feet." Photographed and descriped by the Information Unit WPA in OHIO, Clinton Building, Columbus, Ohio. The photo is from the "Portsmouth, Ohio, flood of 1937", SC 381. This collection contains 37 photographic black and white prints, 21 x 26cm or smaller; and 4 postcards in black in white, 9 x 14 cm. Photographs document the flood damage in Portsmouth, including sandbagging, floodwall construction, and WPA rescue efforts. In 1937, southern Ohio faced one of the worst floods in its history, known today as the "Great Flood of 1937." The Ohio River flood of 1937 took place in late January and February. In Cincinnati, the flood was particularly difficult for the city, where flood levels reached its crest of 79.99 feet on Tuesday, January 26, 1937. Communities along the Ohio River in Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois also faced serious problems. Many people lost their homes as a result of the flood. The Ohio River Flood of 1937 caused more than twenty million dollars in damages. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: sc381_10_01
Subjects: Floods--Ohio River; Portsmouth (Ohio)--Flood, 1937
Places: Portsmouth (Ohio); Scioto County (Ohio)