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The Great 1937 Flood of Louisville & Southern Indiana

Title

The Great 1937 Flood of Louisville & Southern Indiana

Subject

Floods--Kentucky--Louisville

Description

In January 1937 one of the largest floods in American history inundated the Ohio River Valley. Many cities and towns on the Ohio and its tributaries were affected. Louisville and Southern Indiana were among those most devastated. Torrential rain together with some sleet and freezing rain fell from January 9 to January 23, raising the Ohio River to its highest recorded level. On January 23 the river at Louisville crested at 51.1 feet, and eventually reached 57.15 feet above flood stage on the upper gauge.

Louisville’s central and western neighborhoods and Jeffersonville and New Albany across the river were particularly hard hit. Sixty percent of Louisville was flooded and two-thirds of the city’s population had to be evacuated. Basic services were lost or interrupted. The military and thousands of aid workers lent assistance. Clean up and recovery took months and some areas, such as Louisville’s Shippingport and The Point neighborhoods, essentially disappeared. The gallery of images presented here is from The Filson’s Photograph Collection and depicts the massive destruction wrought by “The ‘37 Flood” in Louisville and Southern Indiana.

Creator

unknown

Source

Subject Photograph Collection, The Filson Historical Society

Date

1937

Rights

This image is issued by The Filson Historical Society. Property rights in the collection belong to The Filson Historical Society. The user is responsible for copyright issues. Permission for use of this image for ANY reason should be obtained by contacting Filson's Curator of Collections via research@filsonhistorical.org.

Format

black-and-white photograph

Type

Still Image

Collection Items

  • Flood devastation on Broadway and First Street, Louisville, KY, 1937 Flood.

  • Gas explosion at Floyd & Market Streets, Louisville, KY, 1937 Flood.

  • Statue of Abraham Lincoln outside the main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library, 1937 Flood.

  • Aerial view north of downtown Louisville, KY, 1937 Flood.

  • View north on Spring Street, Jeffersonville, Indiana, 1937 Flood.

  • Flood damage to houses on Market and Wall Street in Jeffersonville, Indiana, 1937 Flood.

  • Aerial view of west Louisville from over the Ohio River. Market Street runs vertically through the center and Fontaine Ferry Park can be seen in the lower right near the river's edge, 1937 Flood.

  • Aerial view of downtown Jeffersonville, Indiana. The Big Four Bridge Trestle crosses the center and the trestle that disappears in the water is the Indiana RR which ran interurban cars between Louisville and Indianapolis. The "white front" buildings are on Spring Street (facing west), 1937 Flood.

  • View north on 2nd Street from York Street, Louisville, KY, 1937 Flood.

  • Group gathered at the Presbyterian Colored Mission, Mr. John Little, Superintendent, during the 1937 Flood, Louisville, KY.

  • Fourth Street looking south at Broadway, Louisville, KY, 1937 Flood.

  • Flooded area at First Street & Breckinridge Street, Louisville, KY, 1937 Flood.

  • Broadway looking east from Brook Street, Louisville, KY, 1937 Flood.

  • Image taken from the Scottow Studio window in the Weissinger-Gaulbert Annex, between 3rd and 4th Streets on the morning of Tuesday, January 26th 1937 before the crest, looking towards the Brown Hotel, Louisville, KY, 1937 Flood.

  • City Hall at 6th and Jefferson Street, Louisville, KY, 1937 Flood.

  • Photograph taken by Mrs. Herman G. Weber in front of 928 (now 930) Denmark Street, Louisville, KY, during the 1937 Flood. Men in the picture include: possibly a neighbor, James Malutsby, and Mr. Herman G. Weber at the oars. The men are rowing to the Red Cross at Southern Junior High School for food.

  • Kentucky State Fairgrounds on Cecil Avenue, west Louisville, KY, 1937 Flood.

  • View west on Broadway from 1st Street, with St. Xavier High School center left, Louisville, KY, 1937 Flood.

  • L&N Office Building, Southside of Broadway between 9th & 10th Street, Louisville, KY, 1937 Flood.

  • Flood wreckage on Third Street, Louisville, KY, 28 January 1937. Wood, barrels, dirt, and other debris crowds the street and water. In the background, clearer water is visible.