a river runs through conway

A River Runs Through Conway

Presented by Dave Barten & Phil Kantor March 2, 2013

High Water, Low Water The South River, for better or worse— through floods and dry spells.

The South River’s course – Ashfield Lake to the Deerfield River

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

Indigenous Inhabitants Settlements and paths. Relation to the river.

18th Century Roads & farms on the hills, mills on the river.

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)

Water powered the mills.

Drawing by Eric Sloane, from Sketches of America Past

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


1895 Heavy rain & snowmelt

1876-77 Drought


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





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

Reigning-in the South River Straightened reaches persist to today.

Scaling-up Industry through Floods & Drought






1875 Heavy rain

1876-77 Drought



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)

Finacial crisis for Mill Owners; Delabarre, another outsider moves in.

Coping through Floods & Drought






1876 7 Drou t



1875 Heavy rain(anxiety great– Mill River disaster was previous year)

County Commissioners pronounce the Tucker & Cook Reservoir “perfectly safe.”

Coping through Floods & Drought








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






1875 Heavy rain

1876-77 Drought



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)

Arrival of the Railroad, 1884

Decline of the Fiber Industry

A trolley to the train Connecting to the outside world

Stocks & Bonds Citizens invest in local utilities

Late century – new types of manufacturing The DeWolf & Hassel Shoe Factory

Shoes, Raincoats, & Tool handles New factories on the trolley line.

Duck Coat Factory (Located behind the Masonic Building)

Falls and Reservoirs Picturesque, recreational, & polluted.

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.

Anticipating Growth Proposed hydroelectric generation, 1905

1909-Concrete Hydro-electric Dam Power for trolley and town.

1909 Concrete Hydro-electric Dam Reservoir now silted up, but dam still stands.

(Google Maps, 2011)

(Photo Ben Barnhart, 2012)

Take the trolley to Wildwood Park on Lake Wequanach.

Up for Sale: Tucker & Cook’s upper mill sold Nov. 1912, Lock, stock and barrel – water power rights, machinery, & out buildings. Even the reservoir.

End of an Era…

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)

The Age of the Automobile: State pushes through Highway, puts in Concrete bridges

Projects for the common good: Town Ballfield - WPA & Eminent domain

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


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.



1925-26Concrete bridges & retaining walls for state roads



1939-40Dikes and rech g above town c er




1936 Hurricane

55 H ricanes Connie & Diane, a ek apart. Both like “Sandy,” ne misses for Franklin County



1938 Hurricane Severe flooding in Conway

1938 Flood RT 116 Washout, Bridge west of Burkville near Eldridge Road




1939-40Dikes and rechannelingabove town center



1936 Hurricane

55 H ricanes onnie & Diane, a ek apar Both like “Sandy,” ne misse for Franklin County



Containing a Nuisance Weather events & the built environment

1925-26 Concrete bridges & retaining walls for state roads


1939 Heavy rain& snowmelt

Response to floods of ‘38 & ‘39: Dikes and berms to channel the river

1939 Dikes and berms channelize the river

1938

1940

Probable Channel in late 19th c. (Based on 1871 map) 1871

150 years of Channel changes

1871

1938

1940

2012




1939-40Dikes and rechannelingabove town center



1936 Hurricane



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

Gauge readings at Reeds Bridge Since 1965

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

a river runs through conway

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