This booklet about the Mill River flood was published within three weeks of the disaster and drew heavily from the Springfield Republican’s articles. Accessible and affordable, “instant books” like these were frequently published after disasters and sold widely to a public eager to absorb tales of valor and despair. When the Mill River flood occurred on May 16, 1874, it was the deadliest dam failure in the U.S. A total of 139 people died when the Williamsburg, Massachusetts, reservoir dam broke, causing devastation to a valley lined with factories, farms, and homes.
Springfield Republican. A Full and Graphic Account of the Terrible Mill River Disaster, caused by the Breaking of a Reservoir in Hampshire County. 1874. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l05-003/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.