Images(5)

1936 Flood and 1938 Hurricane in Hartford and Wethersfield

PhotographerPhotographed by Chester Steele (American)

ManufacturerPhotograph album manufactured by Unknown

Date1936-1938

MediumPhotography; 165 gelatin silver prints mounted on black wove paper enclosed in cardboard covers with metal screws

DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (album height x width x depth): 9 1/4 x 7 3/4 x 2in. (23.5 x 19.7 x 5.1cm) Sheet (height x width): 2 3/4 x 4 1/2in. (7 x 11.4cm)

ClassificationsGraphics

Credit LineGift of Edward W. Steele

Object number2002.26.1.1-.168

DescriptionViews of floodwaters and damage to houses and commercial buildings in Wethersfield, Cromwell, and Hartford, Connecticut, during and after the 1936 Flood and the 1938 Hurricane. A three page article,"Once in Three Hundred Years," describing the role of the Russell K. Bourne post of the American Legion, and photographs of newspaper headlines are mounted in the front of the album. Some photographs include views of Legion Hall, a Legion patrol boat, and the 43rd Tank Corps of the Connecticut National Guard, who assisted with relief work. Streets include the Silas Deane Highway, Hartford Avenue, Main Street, North Main Street, River Road, Marsh Street, Elm Street, and Middletown Avenue, all in Wethersfield. Businesses include Colonial Beacon Oil, the Valley Coal Company, the Edwin Taylor Lumber Company, and Colts Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company. Also included are views of the Wethersfield Prison, the cemetery, the town farm, and the Connecticut River. Scenes during the 1938 Hurricane include many fallen trees.

Status

Not on view