Flood of Memories book photographs on display at Headquarters Building
Exhibition Catalog
The photographs on display were gathered for the Miami Conservancy District’s commemorative book, A Flood of Memories One Hundred Years after the Flood: Images from 1913 and Today.
The prints were originally exhibited at the Dayton Art Institute for a 2013 exhibit, “Watershed,” then was a traveling exhibit thanks to the generosity of the Yeck Family Foundation and Andy Snow.
The historic photos are primarily by unknown photographers. The modern photos were taken by Andy Snow, a Dayton photographer who was honored as one of twenty Best of 2013 by the American Society of Media Photographers for his work on the project.
BASEMENT LEVEL
Starting inside the back door and moving counter-clockwise, ending in the Deeds Room
Middletown: Central Avenue (formerly known as Third Street), looking toward the river. The man on horseback was a constable responsible for bringing several individuals to safety during the 1913 flood.
Inside the Deeds Room
Troy: Pennsylvania Avenue near Race Street with post-flood clean up under way and Hobart Manufacturing Company in the background. Two Hobart family members have served on the MCD Board of Directors.
Franklin: Railroad bridge near Sixth and River streets survived the flood, one of only two between Dayton and Hamilton to survive. Today, the rebuilt version is several feet higher to allow more water to pass under the bridge.
Dayton: National Guardsmen walked along Third Street near Main while workers used a steam engine to clean up the muddy streets. Today, Dayton’s downtown is bike friendly.
Troy: From an upper level of the Miami County Courthouse, looking across the Main Street bridge at the opposite bank where the Nineveh (Nin-eh-veh) community was destroyed by the flood
FIRST FLOOR
Starting along the front wall and moving counter-clockwise, ending behind reception area
Piqua: The public square in front of Fort Piqua Hotel, taken from the refuge of an upper floor of the hotel. The renovated Fort Piqua Plaza building now hosts the public library, shops, and a banquet hall.
West Carrollton: West Pease and North Miami avenues. Photographer Andy Snow later discovered that one of the West Carrollton 1913 flood photographers was his cousin: Noah Elwood Weaver.
Piqua: High Street and Wayne, looking toward a corner that is now the US Post Office and Masonic Lodge. Notice the clocks at the upper right hand corner of both images.
Miamisburg: Main Street’s interurban trolley was knocked off the track. Today’s downtown Miamisburg is a quaint, vibrant retail and entertainment district.
Hamilton: Strauss Department store on High Street suffered losses from 10 foot-deep floodwater. The building was later covered in a mid-century metal façade, recently removed to re-expose the original architecture.
West Carrollton: Judge Nicholas and his family, including their horse, watched the flood from the porch on West Main near North Smith streets.
Hamilton: All the bridges in Hamilton collapsed in a number of hours during the 1913 flood. The Soldiers, Sailors, and Pioneers monument is visible in the background of both photographs.
Miamisburg: Looking east on Linden Avenue after the flood. The same church steeple is visible in the background of both images. A popular sports bar replaces the beer advertisement in the foreground.
Franklin: The Edward Tracy House on the corner of Front (River) and Jackson streets is now protected by MCD and the Great Miami Bike Trail passes by as it connects Franklin with cities to the north.
MEZZANINE
Left to right
Dayton: The view of the city skyline from Grafton Hill, now home to the Dayton Art Institute. The area to the left is McPherson Town where 17 feet of water destroyed lives and property.
Hamilton: Looking north from the top of the Rentschler Building in to the parish neighborhood around Dayton and Second streets.
Piqua: The piers shown in the 1913 flood picture were a platform for rescuing people on floating homes and debris. Today they hold up a section of the bike path.
Dayton: The Beaver Power Building at South St. Clair and East Fourth streets was the first home of DELCO, founded there in 1909. The building now houses St. Clair Lofts and many small retail shops.
SECOND FLOOR LANDING
Troy: The Great Miami River grew from approximately 300 feet to 1,500 feet wide during the Great Flood of 1913. The Miami Conservancy District employs a caretaker to maintain the levees and floodplain in Troy.
Dayton: Requarth Lumber and other lumber yards near the Miami & Erie Canal were turned into chaotic messes during the flood. Today the area is better known as Fifth Third Field, home of the Dayton Dragons.
SECOND FLOOR
Starting left of the door and proceeding counter-clockwise
Troy: The Miami County Courthouse stayed relatively dry during the flood, although water surrounded it on three sides. Today, the only water flowing on the courthouse plaza is in two fountains.
Dayton: West Dayton neighborhoods were inundated. This view is of onlookers on the Cincinnati Hamilton & Dayton Railroad. A new bridge on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard crosses Wolf Creek.
West Carrollton: The Memorial United Methodist Church at the corner of North Locust and Main streets. The basement floor was ruined, and floodwaters nearly reached the sanctuary.
Franklin: View toward the west side of Franklin’s Mackinaw Addition. Downtown Franklin was spared, and the newly constructed Victorian neighborhood on the west side suffered damage, including the loss of building materials stacked at homes still under construction.
Miamisburg: Looking northwest across the river from Cedar Hill. The electrical power plant is in the foreground in 1913 with a flooded community park behind it.
Dayton: West Third Street in Dayton experienced 10 feet of water during the flood, but businesses re-opened on the sidewalks within days. Today, the area is home to the Wright-Dunbar neighborhood.
Dayton: Main Street, looking north from Fourth Street. The 1913 image accurately depicts water depth and storefront destruction.
Piqua: The Shawnee Bridge was completely destroyed. Its replacement was dedicated to the 44 men, women and children who lost their lives in the flood, named on a plaque that included ages of the victims.
General Manager’s Office
Dayton: Newcom Tavern, built in 1796 near the confluence of the Mad and Great Miami rivers, withstood 11 feet of flood water. Today, the site hosts RiverScape MetroPark.
Middletown: Dr. T. A. Dickey House was at Fourth and Main streets, though Fourth Street has now been renamed First Street.
Hamilton: Lane Library at North Third and Buckeye streets had 12 feet of water rushing through it, destroying part of the building. Today it is a thriving institution with branches in two other cities.
Copy Room
Dayton: The Stewart Street Bridge survived the flood as did the National Cash Register Company in the foreground. John Patterson, NCR President, became a hero of flood rescue and recovery. Today, NCR land has largely been incorporated into the University of Dayton campus.
