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1913 Flood Scrapbook
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Beginning March 23, 1913, an unusually heavy rainstorm moved into Ohio. It rained steadily for five days and streams all over Ohio rose rapidly. By the third day of the downpour, levees were overtopped and many towns suffered disastrous flooding. Great fires that raged unchecked added to the destruction and the loss of life. When the flood waters receded, tons of mud and debris covered the streets, homes, businesses and factories all around Ohio. The death toll stood at 361. Property damages were well over $100,000,000 and 65,000 people were forced to temporarily leave their homes. This scrapbook highlights items relating to the 1913 flood. To view all items about the flood, click here.

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Bridge Wreckage and Repair Photographs

Two photographs depict the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad bridge in Marietta, Ohio following the 1913 flood.
Washington County Public Library

Boat Travel During the 1913 Flood Photographs

This photograph of people rowing boats down Putnam Street opposite the courthouse was taken in Marietta.
Washington County Public Library

Cincinnati 1913 Flood Scrapbook

Nine photographs of Cincinnati during the flood document the extent of the damage.
Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County

Darby Creek During the 1913 Flood Photographs

Two photographs show covered bridges at the crossing of Darby Creek at Alkire and Gardner roads in Georgesville, Ohio, during the 1913 flood.
Southwest Public Library

Dayton Citizen's Relief Fund Commission Rally Photograph

This photograph documents a rally of the Dayton Citizen's Relief Fund Commission at the Montgomery County courthouse following the flood.
Wright State University

Dayton During the 1913 Flood Photographs

Three photographs document the 1913 flood that devastated Dayton and the Miami Valley.
Miami Conservancy District

Dayton Flood Refugees Photograph

This photograph shows an encampment of 1913 flood refugees along the banks of one of the rivers in Dayton, Ohio.
Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library

Dayton Homes Damaged by the 1913 Flood Photographs

These five photographs show houses in Dayton, Ohio, that were damaged by the 1913 flood.
Miami Conservancy District

Dynamiting the Boston Dam Photograph

This photograph shows the Boston, Ohio dam being dynamited during the 1913 flood, in an attempt to lower the water.
Peninsula Library and Historical Society/Cuyahoga Valley Historical Museum

Elder and Johnston's Department Store After the 1913 Flood Photographs

Despite the debris that remained in the streets, a sign outside Elder and Johnston's Department Store in Dayton read "Open For Business In All Departments."
Miami Conservancy District

Kimnach's General Store Following the 1913 Flood Photograph

This photograph was taken in front of Kimnach's General Store in Lower Salem, Ohio, after the 1913 flood.
Washington County Public Library

Mahoning River Bridge Fire During 1913 Flood Photograph

The photograph depicts men battling a fire on a bridge within inches of the overflowing Mahoning River in in Warren, Ohio. Onlookers are carrying umbrellas, indicating that the fire, flood, and rain are all happening simultaneously.
Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor

Mansfield During the 1913 Flood Photographs

Even though Mansfield sits 1400 feet above sea level, this city still suffered localized flooding, as documented in these photographs.
Mansfield-Richland County Public Library

Mt. Vernon During the 1913 Flood Photographs

Five photographs show the flood in Mt. Vernon, Ohio.
Knox County Historical Society

National Tube Company During 1913 Flood Photographs

Although the mill itself incurred only minimal damage, floodwaters went right to the gate of the National Tube Company (later U.S. Steel and USS/Kobe Steel in Lorain.
Lorain Public Library

NCR Flood Relief Activities Photographs

National Cash Register Company (NCR) was involved in relief efforts during and after the 1913 flood in Dayton, Ohio.
Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library

Oakwood 1913 Flood Postcard

The village of Oakwood in Paulding County was under 10 feet of water at one point during the 1913 flood.
Paulding County Carnegie Library

St. Mary's College Registration Book of Flood Refugees

This ledger contains the names and addresses of 800 Dayton residents who were displaced by the flood of 1913 and housed at St. Mary's College (now the University of Dayton).
University of Dayton

Tiffin Souvenir Flood Views Booklet

This book of photographs documents the effects of the 1913 flood on Tiffin, Ohio.
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center- Library

Defiance During the 1913 Flood Photographs

Six photographs document the 1913 flood in Defiance, Ohio.
Defiance Public Library

Dayton Under Martial Law Broadside

This notice by Governor James M. Cox placed the city of Dayton, Ohio under martial law in the aftermath of the 1913 flood.
Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library

Fremont 1913 Flood Photographs

Three photographs document the flood in Fremont, Ohio.
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center- Manuscripts

Lane Public Library During the 1913 Flood Photograph

This photograph, taken during the 1913 flood, shows Hamilton, Ohio's Lane Public Library in the left foreground with water almost a third of the way up the building's walls.
Lane Public Library

Zanesville in the Flood of 1913

Proceeds from the sale of this souvenir book were used to award valor medals to the "brave men who risked their lives to save others" during the flood in Zanesville.
Ohio Historical Society

Miami and Ohio Valleys Flood Account

This souvenir booklet documents the flood in Dayton, Hamilton, Cincinnati, Piqua, Springfield, and Fremont.
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center- Library

Prospect, Ohio 1913 Flood Photographs

The town of Prospect in Marion County was also devastated by the flood.
Marion County Historical Society

Oxford, Ohio During the 1913 Flood Photograph

The Oxford waterworks plant on Bonham Road was completely surrounded by water when Four Mile Creek (also known as the Tallawanda) overflowed its banks.
Smith Library of Regional History

Day the Dam Broke

"The Day the Dam Broke" is the personal account of the flood of 1913 written by humorist and Columbus native James Thurber.
Ohio Historical Society

Tippecanoe City Relief Committee Broadsides

This broadside, created by the Tippecanoe City Relief Committee, asks for donations of food and goods for the residents of Dayton.
Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library

Ohio Woman Suffrage Association Letter Regarding Governor Cox and the 1913 Flood

This letter from suffragist Harriet Taylor Upton urges members to write to the Governor and remind him of the work of suffrage organizations during the 1913 flood.
Bowling Green State University--Center for Archival Collections

Shreve During 1913 the Flood Photographs

Travel by train or interurban was impossible during the flood, as evidenced by these photographs taken near Shreve.
Wayne County Public Library - Shreve Branch

Middletown Children's Day Photograph

The city of Middletown, Ohio, held a Children's Day at the completion of cleaning up Middletown after the 1913 flood.
Middletown Public Library

Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company 1913 Flood Photographs

Youngstown Sheet & Tube mill was heavily damaged during the storm as railroad cars and mill buildings were overtaken by flood waters.
Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor