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Montgomery’s flood of 1889 hit 33.1 feet

By Jade Heasley - | Jan 17, 2024

In the summer of 1889, Montgomery suffered what was the worst flood in the town’s history at that time. The river crested on June 1 at 33.1 feet. Flood records were first recorded in Montgomery in 1865 according to an article published in The Luminary in November.

The flood was caused by a massive rainfall that began on May 31, 1889. The Williamsport newspaper the Daily Gazette and Bulletin described flooding in Williamsport as “a deluge of rain” and “a night of terror” in their June 1, 1889 issue.

The rain not only caused flooding in this area, but in many areas of Pennsylvania, including Johnstown, resulting in the notorious Johnstown Flood.

The Montgomery Mirror was a newly established newspaper, and was barely in business for two weeks until the flood hit. The Montgomery Centennial Book states that the paper printed lots of “extra” reports, trying to keep updated news about the conditions around town available to the citizens. The book also reported that although the flood did cause some serious damage to buildings, thankfully no one in Montgomery died as a result.

The flood waters rose so high, that patrol boats were sent out. At the time of the flood, the Montgomery Hotel stood at the corner of South Main Street and Montgomery Street at the current site of the Uni-Mart. The hotel proprietor’s daughters served sandwiches from the windows to the men working in the boats, according to Joan Wheal Blank’s Around Montgomery.

One of the most serious effects of the flood in Montgomery was the severe damage to the railroad bridge over the river. The Daily Gazette and Bulletin reported on June 5, 1889, “All interest at present centers in the early reconstruction of the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad bridge across the river at Montgomery, for until it is passable trains cannot reach Williamsport . . . Four spans of the bridge are gone, and the fifth is badly damaged, leaving only two standing.”

On June 10, 1889, the Daily Gazette and Bulletin reported that the bridge had been reopened. “The completion of the Montgomery bridge was one of the most rapid exhibitions of bridge building on record. It was carried away on Saturday, June 1, and on Saturday, June 8 one week almost to the hour, it was again opened. The work called into active play the full resources and skill of the company, and the result of this great feat of engineering triumph will go on record as among the remarkable successes in that line.”

The Montgomery Centennial Book further stated that after the flood waters receded, lots of new construction happened around town. New homes and structures were built, and a brickyard was opened by Israel Wagner. It also saw the development of East Houston Avenue. The first two buildings there were the Lutheran Church, and D.W. Shollenberger built the first private home. While it wasn’t directly stated that the flood was the reason for all the new building projects, it made sense that the higher elevations in town were appealing.

While there have been many floods in Montgomery over the years, the 1889 flood levels were surpassed in 1936, and again in 1972 with the flood in Montgomery’s history.