The 1937 Ohio River Flood
"It seems that nothing can stop the outpouring of the heavens..."
In January 1937, the people of Cincinnati experienced what would become the worst natural disaster in the city’s history. Between January 13-25, just under fourteen inches of rain fell, four times the average amount for the entire month. The deluge of unprecedented rainfall caused the Ohio River and its tributaries to overflow their banks, devastating towns and cities along the way. Businesses, homes, and entire communities were reduced to rubble and muck, leaving thousands homeless. Even those fortunate enough to live on higher ground dealt with critical shortages and rationing of vital essentials such as water, electricity, and heat. Already weathering the hardship and deprivation of the Great Depression, residents of Cincinnati experienced conditions that further tested their humanity and resolve, requiring them to work together and help one another to endure.
What follows are selected photographs, letters, diaries, and interviews that capture the disaster from some of those who lived through it. The words and images featured are just a sampling of the materials fully available in the Digital Library that highlight and reveal compelling stories that chronicle Cincinnati's history - such as how Cincinnatians reacted to and responded to the different realities faced when encountering the 1937 Ohio River Flood.
Indicators on the 1937 flood map above mark where the stories that follow unfolded: 1. State Representative William L. Mallory Sr. 2. Beatrice Fehring-Busch 3. Raymond Schad 4. Mary Louise (Eck) Goulding
1937 Flood Footage - J.A. Mueller
The Unexpected
The new year of 1937 brought unusually warm temperatures in Cincinnati. While the first part of January did not yield particularly heavy precipitation, significant rains started in the region on Wednesday, January 13, with the Ohio River surpassing flood stage at 52 feet on Monday, January 18.
The Cincinnati Enquirer. January 20, 1937.
On Wednesday, January 20, while the Weather Bureau predicted continued light rain, the news reported the effect on existing flood waters would remain "slight." A headline in The Cincinnati Enquirer declared "Business as Usual," as residents were assured that, other than the immediate lowlands at the riverfront, the valley of the Little Miami, and the land surrounding Mill Creek, the great majority of the city would remain "absolutely unaffected" by high water.
The Cincinnati Enquirer. January 20, 1937.
The rains, however, turned unexpectedly heavy on the night of Thursday, January 21, causing an alarming and unprecedented rise in the Ohio and Little Miami Rivers. The city received over two inches of rain in the night, and by Friday morning, as the Ohio River neared 70 feet, flood waters inundated the greater part of Northside, the Lower East End, and a neighborhood known as "The Bottoms" which ran from the riverbank north to Sixth Street, west to Walnut Street, and east to the foot of Mt. Adams.
Waters also surged over the Beechmont Levee and Lunken Airport was completely submerged. Residents of Mt. Washington found themselves without telephone service or electricity and were virtually cut off from the city, having to drive more than 60 miles out of the way to reach their homes.
A map from The Cincinnati Enquirer showing the 69 mile detour to Mt. Washington from the city.
Stories from the Flood
"FLOOD WORST IN HISTORY" proclaimed the headline of the Friday, January 22 edition of The Cincinnati Post. The river now exceeded 71 feet, which bypassed the previous recorded high water mark from 1884. Rescue missions to evacuate people whose homes had been suddenly inundated with water were underway, while major roads and railways were blocked.
People's experience of the 1937 Flood differed greatly depending on where they lived. Below are several accounts of people who witnessed the flood - gathered from letters, diaries, and interviews conducted in 2012 by CHPL librarians Chris Smith and Brian Powers. These flood stories provide specific details about the timing of events and the impact those events had on the lives of the people who lived through them.
State Representative William L. Mallory Sr.
"It was a highly unusual act of nature and anybody who experienced it will forever remember..." State Representative William L. Mallory Sr.
State Representative William L. Mallory Sr. was six years old at the time of the 1937 Flood. He lived with his family in one of the first areas of the city inundated by water. In this interview he shares his recollections of his family being rescued by boat and taken to a gymnasium for shelter, food, and water.
State Representative Mallory also discusses a National Guard Unit, the 372nd Infantry Battalion, Company B, composed entirely of African Americans, who guarded downtown Cincinnati during the 1937 Flood.
1937 Flood Interview with State Representative William L. Mallory Sr.
Aerial View of Third and Vine Streets. View in the Digital Library.
Second Street between Walnut and Vine. View in the Digital Library.
Rescue Boats at Third and Race Streets. View in the Digital Library.
Approach to the Roebling Bridge from the Cincinnati side at Water Street. View in the Digital Library.
Beatrice Fehring-Busch
Beatrice Fehring-Busch. View in the Digital Library.
Beatrice Fehring-Busch was a high-school student living in Mt. Washington at the time of the 1937 Flood. Her diary provides an narrative of how the flood affected her daily life as a teenager who didn't want to miss youth group where she could see a boy she liked or how she longed when the flood was over to see the latest film who starred a local boy she knew in grade school, Tyrone Power.
Friday, January 22, 1937
"I'm writing this account in candle-light in the spirit of the old pioneers - making an effort to tell the story of an event that is sure to find itself recorded in the pages of future histories. Mark this date well: January 22, 1937 has seen the flood waters of the Ohio River reach the highest point in its known history..."
Diary Entry - Friday, January 22, 1937
Her entry for Friday, January 22 continues with a description of the trip to school on the day before when her father had to turn the car around at the bridge at Beechmont Levee and find another route because of high water. By Friday morning, the water had breached the levee.
"But yesterday morning when we reached the bottom of the hill on our way to school, we found a long line of cars stopped at the edge of the Bridge. They weren't allowing anyone across, because the water already across the low part by the Calico Cat, and it might rush over full force at any minute..."
Friday's diary entry also describes the trip driving through water Beatrice and her father took the night before to get back home from a youth group meeting in Newtown as roads became impassable by the hour.
"More often than not the road we inquired about was 'under too.' And still it kept raining - a hard, driving rain that continued with relentless monotony. We got home finally - about 2 hours after we started and went back again for Newman Club. Mom thought we were crazy. But I wanted to go - to see Wally. We had to plow thru water this time."
"A man came out flashing a lantern Daddy would call 'Is it ok to go thru?' and the man answered thru the rain 'Go ahead!' Newman Club was worth it. We only had about a half hour's rehearsal, but everyone was kidding and talking about the flood, and Wally was sweet in that lovable, attentive, sort of protective way that makes me feel that maybe I do mean something to him. Then we started back."
"The buses stopped running that morning, even the telephone line was out of order. But we came home. Daddy has that persistence that defies any circumstances to interfere with his plans. We found the road we had come down on was covered too. So we had to seek another way - farther north. I kept looking at the map we got at an oil station to find a way home - imagine - to find a way to our own home!"
Only the very top of the administrative building at Lunken Airport remained visible. View in the Digital Library.
Aerial view of submerged Lunken Airport. View in the Digital Library.
Newtown, Main Street. View in the Digital Library.
Coney Island underwater. View in the Digital Library.
Raymond Schad
Raymond Schad was nine years old during the 1937 Flood. He and his family lived in Camp Washington, in an area then known as "Cumminsville," another of the very first neighborhoods to be overcome by flood waters. Because of the unforeseen and eventual sudden rise in water, many Cumminsville residents had to be rescued after being trapped in the upper floors of buildings with no food, and no way out. In this interview, Mr. Shad describes being rescued from an open window.
Mr. Shad also recollects being taken to the Red Cross Relief Station at Hebrew Union College where he and his family would stay for a couple of weeks. By Friday, January 22, The Cincinnati Enquirer estimated that over 10,000 people in Cincinnati had to be evacuated from their homes. By Saturday, that number would would be closer to 20,000.
1937 Flood Interview with Raymond Schad
Many residents made scrapbooks filled with newspaper clippings, photographs, letters, and other ephemera that documented the experience of the flood. The following images are from scrapbooks in the CHPL collection that highlight the rescue and relief efforts organized to help those displaced by flood waters. View in the Digital Library.
These clippings capture rescue efforts to evacuate people trapped in inundated housing situations, like the one described by Mr. Schad.
Displaced people sought refuge in churches and schools that served as shelters. View in the Digital Library.
Many people evacuated from flooded homes escaped with little or no belongings. Food and clothing drives provided necessities to those who had lost almost everything.
Food collected and distributed at Music Hall.
Dances and music at shelters provided entertainment during a difficult time.
Entertainment at the auditorium of 209 West Seventh Street - January 29, 1937. View in the Digital Library.
These gentlemen made their own music in a box car in the freight yards west of Delta Avenue in the East End.
Mary Louise (Eck) Goulding
Mary Louise (Eck) Goulding was eleven years old in 1937. She and her family lived on high ground in Clifton and her experience of the flood reflected a different reality than one of evacuation and homelessness experienced by those living in parts of Northside, Downtown, and the West and East Ends.
1937 Flood Interview with Mary Louise Goulding
During interviews with CHPL librarians, one story shared off camera involved St. Rose's Church in the Lower East End, which was overwhelmed by flood waters. The doors of the church were opened to let the waters in, which would help to protect the structural integrity of the building and keep it from shifting from its foundation. One woman recounted, as a child, rowing with her uncle through the open doors and up to the altar.
St. Rose Church in the East End. View in the Digital Library.
Interior of St. Rose Church after the waters receded. Today there is a marker painted on the back of the church that shows just how high the river rose. View in the Digital Library.
The Mill Creek Fire. Sunday, January 24, 1937. View in the Digital Library.
Mill Creek Fire
As waters continued to rise on Friday, January 22, temperatures began to drop. Cincinnatians hoped that, while the cold and precipitation in the form of snow would hamper rescue and relief efforts, it would slow the rising water and the river would crest between 72 and 73 feet. A blanket of six inches of heavy snow fell between Friday and Saturday, and unfortunately, the river just kept on rising.
Rescue at Pearl and Broadway Streets
Rescuing people in the East End through the driving sleet and snow.
To make matters worse, at the Standard Oil Company, flood waters upended nine giant storage tanks, causing thousands and thousands of gallons of gasoline to spill into the waters of Mill Creek Valley. People's worst fears were realized when the gasoline floating on the surface of the water ignited on the morning of Sunday, January 24 in Camp Washington, starting a fire that would send flames 50 feet into the air, cover over three miles, and destroy 32 buildings.
This picture was taken before the Mill Creek Fire. Notice the gasoline floating on the surface of the water that would ignite and fuel the blaze.
Damaged storage tanks that spilled thousands of gallons of gasoline into the flood waters of the Mill Creek valley. View in the Digital Library.
The Mill Creek or Crosley Fire. View in the Digital Library.
Crews of over 500 firefighters fought the blaze for over 12 hours. View in the Digital Library.
Picture of the aftermath of the Mill Creek or Crosley Fire.
32 buildings were destroyed by the fire, including both the Crosley Radio and the Standard Oil Companies. View in the Digital Library.
Wreckage caused by the fire.
Spring Grove Avenue, where the fire originated, after the fire. From this image one can see the level of where the flood waters reached. The houses did not burn because they were largely underwater.
This newspaper clipping reports the damage of the fire totaled $1.5 million. Adjusted to inflation, that number would be around $31 million today.
Impact
Water Supply
As the Mill Creek Fire burned, and the river level rose above 77 feet, water poured into the Water Works Station in the East End on Sunday afternoon, January 24, 1937. View in the Digital Library.
By 7 p.m. Sunday night, all water to the city was shut off. Water would only be available between 6-8 a.m. and 5-7 p.m., and only in scant amounts needed for cooking to conserve the overall supply.
To supplement their water stores, many Cincinnatians relied on the knowledge of both the young and the old who knew where natural springs were to be found in the city. Artesian wells at local breweries also provided water for citizens. View in the Digital Library.
A natural spring on the hillside of Clifton Avenue provided many residents with water. Everyone was advised to boil water for ten minutes to make certain it was safe for consumption. View in the Digital Library.
Fresh water supply on Fairmount Avenue. View in the Digital Library.
Whiskey barrels were used in storing water at Cincinnati General Hospital. View in the Digital Library.
Electricity
At 3 a.m. on Monday, Cincinnati Gas & Electric was inundated, and the electricity was shut off. Power was brought in from Indianapolis and Dayton, and residents were asked to limit their electricity use to one light bulb at home and minimal use of the radio for news updates.
With citizens limited to the use of one lightbulb per home, candles became a precious commodity during the flood.
Cincinnati 1937 Flood Interviews by Dan Hurley - Alma Reckner
In response to an invitation by WKRC-TV in 2007, flood survivors spoke with Dan Hurley, local historian and host of the popular news program "Local 12 Newsmakers." Above, Alma Reckner discusses her memories of how her family weathered the flood with limited water and electricity.
Transportation
The Roebling Suspension Bridge, which would be the only means to cross the Ohio River for hundreds of miles in either direction during the 1937 Flood, never closed. Transportation patterns in the city, however, were completely disrupted and communities like Northside, College Hill, and Mt. Washington were isolated. Train travel from Union Station was suspended, as were all streetcar routes, and bus service was severely limited.
The official river crest measurement was 79.9 feet on Tuesday, January 26, 1937. View in the Digital Library.
The Roebling Suspension Bridge before the 1937 Flood.
The Roebling Bridge during the flood.
Rebuilding
The Flood of 1937 lasted for 19 days and covered roughly 15-20 percent of the city of Cincinnati. Over 100,000 Cincinnatians were displaced. As the waters receded, many people who were left homeless by the flood had very little to return to. Some frame houses and garages that had been lifted off their foundations were swept down the block or downriver. Others were rendered structurally unsound and had to first be demolished, then rebuilt. Families who were able to keep their homes were helped by WPA workers to sweep and wash away the muck and mud left by the flood waters.
Cincinnati 1937 Flood Interviews by Dan Hurley - Bob Venneman
In this interview, Bob Venneman whose grandmother owned a dry-goods store in Bellevue, Kentucky describes what clean-up from the flood was like.
The living room at 1728 Elmore St. Cumminsville, being scrubbed by a crew of WPA workers. View in the Digital Library.
A WPA worker scraping mud from the 1st floor of a building in Cumminsville. View in the Digital Library.
Interior of the Regular Baptist Church, located on Church St., Newtown, Ohio. View in the Digital Library.
Odd Fellows Hall, 77 Church St., Newtown, Ohio. View in the Digital Library.
Relief workers on Spring Grove Avenue. View in the Digital Library.
Interview with Coleen Albers
Coleen Albers recounts the scene of when her family returned to their Covington, Kentucky home eight weeks after the flood, where there was a surprise in store.
To mitigate the impact of flood disaster in the future, the city took steps to ensure that the type of devastation brought by the 1937 Flood would not happen again. A barrier dam was built at the mouth of Mill Creek that prevents flood waters from the Ohio River from backing up into the valley. Today, parks such as Smale and Sawyer Point provide open spaces along the riverfront designed to absorb flood waters and stadiums with elevated parking garages exist where homes, warehouses and businesses once stood.
Then and Now
Beekman Street and Queen City Avenue. View in the Digital Library.
Colerain Avenue, south of Rachel Street. View in the Digital Library.
Hamilton and Palm Avenues
Kellogg Avenue and Tennyson Street
Stanley Avenue from Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati Water Works and St. Rose Church
Union Terminal
Keep Exploring
View the rare and unique materials used within this exhibit by visiting the Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Cincinnati Room, adjacent to the Genealogy and Local History Department at the Downtown Main Library and through the Digital Library .
