Classical High School, Springfield, Massachusetts

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Sharon Sadler - View Obituary & Service Information Share Memories and Support the Family.

One of the deadliest dam failures in U.S. history occurred on May 16, 1874 in Williamsburg, Massachusetts. These two photos show the site of the dam in the immediate aftermath of the dam breach, and the same scene in 2022.

The dam was located in the northern part of Williamsburg, and it had been constructed in 1865 by a group of mill owners. Its purpose was to regulate the flow of water on the Mill River and ensure that there would be enough water to run the mills during drier months.

The mill owners initially received an estimate from a contractor who could build a stone dam for $96,764. However, they balked at this price, and instead spent $22,000 to build a poorly-engineered earthen dam with a rubble stone core. The contractor used shoddy construction methods, including not properly mortaring the stone core, and it ultimately led to the dam's collapse less than a decade later.

The resulting flood caused catastrophic damage to the town of Williamsburg, which was comprised of a series of mill villages that were built close to the banks of the river. Farther downstream, it also flooded portions of Northampton. In total, 139 people were killed in the flood, making it at the time the deadliest dam failure in the country.

In the foreground of the top photo is the outlet pipe, which was a contributing factor in the flood. It was only 16 inches in diameter, instead of 18 inches that the original plans had called for, and it was installed despite knowing that it would probably be inadequate for a reservoir of this size. The dam itself was just upstream of here, but there is almost no evidence of it left in the photo, because it was completely wiped out in the flood. Only a few portions of the stone core on the edges of the dam survived, although these are not visible in the photo.

The bottom photo was taken from approximately the same location in 2022, showing the modern-day site of the dam. It is accessible via a hiking trail off of Ashfield Road in Williamsburg. Parts of the stone core of the dam (not in the photo) are still standing, but overall the area has reforested, and there is little physical evidence of the disaster that started here.

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Sharon M. Yefko Obituary Share Memories & Support the Family.

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Obituary for Desmond Douglas Washington, Sr. at Henderson's Funeral Home & Cremations Services, Inc. Desmond Douglas Washington Sr., age 55 of Springfield Massachusetts, passed away peacefully at his home on April 16th, 2021. Born at Wesson Hospital in Springfield Massachusetts on May 21st, 1965 to Samuel and Rosemary Simmons Washington, Desmond has always been an energetic, passionate and ambitiou...

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John Paul Lester Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information Share Memories & Support the Family.

Connecting Communities With Accurate Health Information About Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Facebook Community We’ve partnered with global health organizations to share accurate information on disease prevention and we’re connecting you with tools to help you manage your communities.

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Classical High School Archives - Lost New England The Post Master and His Corps, Springfield, Mass November 26, 2016December 13, 2014 by Derek Strahan A group of postal employees on the front steps of Springfield’s Central High School (later Classical High School) around 1910. Photo from View Book of Springfield (1910). The building in 2014: All ...

Classical High School - formerly named Central High School - on State Street in Springfield, Mass, around 1905 and 2019. The school was built in 1898, and over the years its alumni included Dr. Seuss and Timothy Leary. It closed in 1986, and was subsequently converted into condominiums. Historic image courtesy of the Library of Congress.