The Great Ohio River Flood of 1937

Images of America: West Virginia

by James E. Casto

Images of The Great Ohio River Flood of 1937 brings together 200 vintage images that offer readers a look at one of the darkest chapters in the region's history. From the time settlers first pushed into the Ohio Valley, floods were an accepted fact of life. After each flood, people shoveled the mud from their doors and set about rebuilding their towns. In 1884, the Ohio River washed away 2,000 homes. In 1913, an even worse flood swept down the river. People labeled it the ""granddaddy"" of all floods. Little did they know there was worse yet to come. In 1937, raging flood waters inundated thousands of houses, businesses, factories, and farms in a half dozen states, drove one million people from their homes, claimed nearly 400 lives, and recorded $500 million in damages. Adding to the misery was the fact that the disaster came during the depths of the Depression, when many families were already struggling.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 11, 2009

Reviews

[Cindy (BKind2Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting pictorial journey - this was something I wanted to read to learn more about the flood. It was more just a collection of pictures with captions versus a history of the flood. There was some history covered but I think I was expecting more. My mother was about 18 months old when the flood hit Louisville and she remembers her dad rowing up to their 2nd floor apartment and lifting her out the window. In fact it is her first memory as a child so it made a great impression on her. So I think I wanted more than just photos and captions. The collection also seems to focus on relatively few areas within each state.

[Paul Lunger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living along any river floods are a common way of life and at times the more destructive ones become infamous. The Ohio River itself has had its share of these events & James E. Casto with "The Great Ohio River Flood of 1937" takes an abbreviated look at this catastrophe in this 2009 installment from the "Images of America" series. What makes this book on the unique side is the perspective is done state-by-state of the cities on both sides of the river that were affected by this disaster as well as a reference to a slightly worse flood in 1936 which did more damage to cities towards the headwaters of the Ohio in Pittsburgh, PA. Either way this book reveals the damage this disaster caused as well as the aftermath of it. As a reader I figure there are other references out there to this flood, but this book still does a decent job with the flood for we the reader to be able to understand this event in American history.

[Anita Rudd · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is all pictures and captions. No really history of the time or how these devastating floods affected the lives of people. It would be a great read for local history with all the tidbits about streets and buildings.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting history of one of the most devastating floods that occurred along the Ohio River in 1937. My only disappointment with this book was the location(s) of the photos. The river runs along much of the eastern border of Ohio, as well as the entire southern border, and yet, the only cities "showcased" are Pomeroy (1 photo) Proctorville (1 photo?) Ironton (1 photo), as well as Portsmouth and Cincinnati, which are both WELL represented. What about Marietta, Bellaire and other cities / towns along the "upper" part of the river (on the Ohio side).

[dejah_thoris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book on the 1936 and 1937 Ohio River floods with some earlier flood photographs in the first chapter. Like many of these books on a single theme, the repetitiveness can get a little tiresome. (There are only so many pictures of early Midwestern towns with water up to the roofs one can stomach.) But I still appreciate that this series of ebooks has chosen to use large format digital reproductions because it allows you to select any image and expand it to any size so you can see the details.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all the photos from that era. Really something to realize the power of water.