A River Runs Through Conway Presented by Dave Barten & Phil Kantor March 2, 2013
18th Century Means to a simple living
19th Century Harnessing the river’s power for manufacturing
20th Century Constraining a nuisance
21st Century Reaching a better understanding?
Indigenous Inhabitants Paths and Settlements
Conway’s First Mill
Caleb Sharp’s Gristmill, 1767 (Up from the Post Office, just over the first bridge, in the gorge on the right)
(Current location of the Post Office)
Flaggs Mill painted by Oscar Anderson, 1945
Photo fromIllustrated Conway,
1900
The longest running mill in Conway Flaggs lumber mill on Shelburne Falls Rd., c.1794 – 1950
Early Mills on the Bear River & South River, c. 1794
Gristmill, 1770(Thwing’s)
Sawmill
Flagg’s Sawmill, c.1794
Fulling mill, 1778
Gristmill, 1767(Caleb Sharp’s)
Hayden Fulling mill, 1780
Bear River sawmill
Mills & Farms at end of 18th C
Gristmill(near old Reed’s Bridge, former route to Bardwells Ferry)
Sawmill(building still on Shelburne Falls Road)Fulling mill
(below covered bridge)
Sharp’s Gristmill
Sawmill(at Reed’s Falls)
Hayden Fulling mill, 1780& Flax oil mill, c. 1797
Tannery (later Clapp’s)
19th Century Scaling-up Industry through Floods & Drought
1804 Extreme event, New England
1821 Severe hurricane, Southern New England
1846 Tropical storm, into Vermont
1815 Extreme event, New England
1895 Heavy rain & snowmelt
1876-77 Drought
1878 Heavy rain & snowmelt
New Industry on the South River: Larger scale cotton mills, run by outsiders, to produce goods for out side Conway.
Gristmill
Fulling mill
Sharp’s Gristmill, still operating
Fiber mill & bag factory, 1810Howland’s Cotton mill, 1846(north of bridge)
Fulling mill
Sawmill
Whitney & Well’s Cotton mill, 1837 (burned 1856, later site of Tucker & Cook)
Tannery
Sawmill
New Industry on the South River
Burk’s Woolen Mill Built,1837. Enlarged,1846.
(later Delabarre’s Woolen Mill, now site of OESCO)
Conway’s Mid-Century Industry
Gristmill
Sawmill addsShingle factory
Fulling mill
Sharp’s Gristmill, still operating
Fiber mill & bag factory, 1810Howland’s Cotton mill, 1846(north of bridge)
Fulling mill
Rake factory(still a turning mill in 1900,near Van Gelder’s place)
Sawmill
Whitney & Well’s Cotton mill, 1837 (burned 1856, later site of Tucker & Cook)
Burk’s woolen mill, 1837Enlarged, 1846 (later Delabarre’s, now OESCO)
Clapp’s Tannery
More Burkville operations:Carpenters & Joiners Tools, 1842 South River Cutlery, 1851Chair Factory, 1859
Scaling-up Industry through Floods & Drought
1804 Extreme event, New England
1821 Severe hurricane, Southern New England
1846 Tropical storm, into Vermont
1815 Extreme event, New England
1895 Heavy rain & snowmelt Ashfield lake & Conway reservoir dams break
1876-77 Drought
1878 Heavy rain & snowmelt Ashfield lake & Conway reservoir dams break
Dams put the river to work
John Sprague’s grist mill dam(below Pam Gilmore’s place)
Delabarre’s dam(below covered bridge)
Tucker & Cook’s upper dam(below middle bridge & theMcDonald’s place)
Tucker & Cooks Lower Dam(below cemetery)
Tannery Dam(below current PO)
Gazette, September 2, 1867
“There is no town in Franklin County that offers more encouraging inducements for the investment of limited capital than Conway. South river could naturally furnish a large amount of excellent power … by the recent improvement made by Tucker & Cook. …
A new, bigger dam, for increased production.
Tucker & Cook Reservoir, built,1837, enlarged,1846 and 1866.
Boosterism
Gazette, January 18, 1869 , continued
“In the erection of their magnificent reservoir, the granite dam of which having been judged by competent engineers to be infallibly permanent, has increased that power to a very great amount. ..”
Reigning-in the South River
“Communal fears regarding the potential breach of this large reservoir prior to 1869 led to public backing of the “4-40 campaign” … the river channel was straightened and widened to a width of 40 feet for a distance of 4 miles.”
Straightened reaches
Races (to feed mills)
Dams
Scaling-up Industry through Floods & Drought
1804 Extreme event, New England
1815 Extreme event, New England
1869 Tropical storm, into Vermont
1895 Heavy rain & snowmelt
1878 Heavy rain & snowmelt
1875 Heavy rain
1876-77 Drought
1846 Tropical storm, into Vermont
1821 Severe hurricane, Southern New England
John Sprague’s mill(one wing washes out of dam)
Bridge (washed out)
Clapp’s Tannery(A complete loss)
Casualties of the “Great Freshet” of 1869 (all rebuilt by 1871, date of this map)
Delabarre’s pond and dam(pond and wooden dam lost)
Covered Bridge (washed off abutments)
Burkville Businesses(Severely flooded)
Mrs. Smith’s barbershoplanded here!
Tucker & Cook’s granite dam, road, and bridge (center holds, but both wings washed out)
Tucker & Cook’s mill, dye house, & boiler house(damaged)
Tucker & Cook’s dam(Wings and canal washed out) Mrs. Smith’s
barbershop(site of Irene washout)
Conway Village(Severely flooded)
Delabarre’s mill & bridge (washed out)
Coping through Floods & Drought
1804 Extreme event, New England
1815 Extreme event, New England
1869 Tropical storm, into Vermont
1895 Heavy rain & snowmelt
1878 Heavy rain & snowmelt
1876 7 Drou t
1846 Tropical storm, into Vermont
1821 Severe hurricane, Southern New England
1875 Heavy rain(anxiety great– Mill River disaster was previous year)
Coping through Floods & Drought
1804 Extreme event, New England
1815 Extreme event, New England
1869 Tropical storm, into Vermont
1895 Heavy rain & snowmelt
1878 Heavy rain & snowmelt
1846 Tropical storm, into Vermont
1821 Severe hurricane, Southern New England
1875 Heavy rain
1876-77 Drought
Corliss Steam Power With water power unreliable due to the drought, the mill owners introduce coal powered Corliss steam powered engines.
Drought followed by more floods
1804 Extreme event, New England
1815 Extreme event, New England
1869 Tropical storm, into Vermont
1895 Heavy rain & snowmelt
1878 Heavy rain & snowmelt
1875 Heavy rain
1876-77 Drought
1846 Tropical storm, into Vermont
1821 Severe hurricane, Southern New England
Ashfield and Conway devastated when Ashfield’s “Great Pond” dam breaks, 1978.
In response, Conway’s selectmen contract for an iron bridge. (Photo c. 1890)
20th Century From private industry to public policy…
Department of Public Works plans to rebuild town center bridges, for the new Route 116 highway — 1926.
End of an Era… 1904 -1916 • Delabarre Mill burns
• Tucker and Cook Lower Mill, reincarnated
as dairy pasteurization plant (for Hood Dairy from Boston)
• Bullard Thread buys Tucker & Cook Mill, sells to DeWolfe Shoe Co., which closes after one year.
1909 Concrete Hydro-electric Dam Reservoir now silted up, but dam still stands.
(Google Maps, 2011)
(Photo Ben Barnhart, 2012)
Up for Sale: Tucker & Cook’s upper mill sold Nov. 1912, Lock, stock and barrel – water power rights, machinery, & out buildings. Even the reservoir.
Conant & Donaldson Tap & Die Works takes over the Delabarre site from short-lived Conway Cutlery, 1909.
Deerfield River Electric Light Company takes over power transmission, 1916. Conway’s hydro-power production abandoned.
Ruins of generator mount and Penstock at the Conway Station dam (Photos by Ben Barnhart, 2012)
1921 Conway railwaysand dams abandoned
1925-26Concrete bridges & retaining walls for state roads
1982 Severe thunderstorm - 16”downpour. Town center flooded
1904 Hurricane hits Western Mass
1939-40Dikes and rech g above town c er
1982-3 Concrete retaining wall rebuilt
1999 Hurricane Floyd
1985 Hurricane Gloria
1938 The GreatNew EnglandHurricane
1955 Hurricanes Connie & Diane, a week apart. Both like “Sandy,” near misses for Franklin County
1927 Late season tropical storm
1936 Hurricane
Weather events & the built environment
1939 Heavy rain & snowmelt
After 1936 Flood, the town dismantles the Upper Tucker and Cook Reservoir.
Site of the Tucker & Cook dam (photo, Michele Turre, 2013)
Containing a Nuisance: By the mid-century, the river is seen not so much as a resource than a problem.
1921 Conway railwaysand dams abandoned
1939 Heavy rain & snowmelt
1925-26Concrete bridges & retaining walls for state roads
1982 Severe thunderstorm - 16”downpour. Town center flooded
1904 Hurricane hits Western Mass
1939-40Dikes and rech g above town c er
1982-3 Concrete retaining wall rebuilt
1999 Hurricane Floyd
1985 Hurricane Gloria
1936 Hurricane
55 H ricanes Connie & Diane, a ek apart. Both like “Sandy,” ne misses for Franklin County
1927 Late season tropical storm
1938 The GreatNew EnglandHurricane
1921 Conway railwaysand dams abandoned
1982 Severe thunderstorm - 16”downpour. Town center flooded
1904 Hurricane hits Western Mass
1939-40Dikes and rechannelingabove town center
1999 Hurricane Floyd
1985 Hurricane Gloria
1936 Hurricane
55 H ricanes onnie & Diane, a ek apar Both like “Sandy,” ne misse for Franklin County
1938 The GreatNew EnglandHurricane
1927 Late season tropical storm
Containing a Nuisance Weather events & the built environment
1925-26 Concrete bridges & retaining walls for state roads
1982-3 Concrete retaining wall rebuilt
1939 Heavy rain& snowmelt
1921 Conway railwaysand dams abandoned
1982 Severe thunderstorm - 16”downpour. Town center flooded
1904 Hurricane hits Western Mass
1939-40Dikes and rechannelingabove town center
1999 Hurricane Floyd
1985 Hurricane Gloria
1936 Hurricane
1938 The GreatNew EnglandHurricane
1927 Late season tropical storm
Containing a Nuisance Weather events & the built environment
1982 Concrete retaining wall at town center washes out
1925-26 Concrete bridges & retaining walls for state roads
1982-3 Concrete wall replaced with rip-rap “gabion” baskets
1939 Heavy rain& snowmelt
1955 Hurricanes Connie & Diane, a week apart. Both like “Sandy,” near misses for Franklin County
21st Century What’s next? A better understanding of the river?
Effects of climate change?
Flood mitigation projects?
Spring 2006Heavy rain, andsnow melt
Fall 2008Heavy rain
2011 Rip-rap retaining wallreplaced w/ geo-cell wall
2011 Hurricane/Tropical storm “Irene”
2012 Hurricane “Sandy,” a near miss
2011 After geo-cell washout, emergency rip-rap repairs narrow channel
Irene Fresh in our minds
Irene Flood, from triangle in front of library (video, John O’Rourke, 2011)
Presentation Team David Barten & Phil Kantor - Presenters and Research Joe Strezgowski - Presentation layout, scanning, introductions Michele Turre - Presentation design, scanning Janet Chayes - Coordination, publicity
Visual Resources oldmaps.com – historic maps Eric Sloane – waterwheel illustration Ruth Parnall – historic maps ARC GIS – terrain map Wikimedia – historic maps Conway Historical Society – historic artifacts, maps, blueprints and photos, Denis Delap Postcard Collection Field Memorial Library – historic photos, newspaper clippings Ben Barnhart – photos Michele Turre – photos, timeline graphics, map overlays Google Maps – satellite imagery Field Geology Services – photos and flow chart John O’Rourke – Hurricane Irene video