Great Flood of 1913

Few events have had more of an effect on Canal Fulton than the Flood of 1913.  We are approaching the 100th anniversary in March, so that's why today's blog focuses our attention on the flood.

The winter of 1912-13 had been fairly severe and the ground was still well frozen when the rains began before Easter in 1913.  It rained for nine days straight, and more than nine inches of rain were recorded at Buchtel College in Akron (now The University of Akron).  Water levels rose to the top of one of the two curbs in downtown Canal Fulton.  This means that the basements of the buildings along the canal were completely flooded.  The rising waters of the Tuscarawas River spilled over into the canal and the two became one.

Dams upstream let go.  The delicate clay lining of the canal was ripped out.  Buildings floated downstream, and the industrial park (now Heritage Park) was decimated.  People living on one side of the river/canal were separated from the people on the other.  Enterprising youngsters paddled canoes with supplies to those in need, once the waters calmed down.

The result of the Flood of 1913 is that the canal system connecting Portsmouth with Cleveland was ruined beyond repair.  The transportation method that really built Canal Fulton from farmland, created the many ports along its meandering way, was no more.  Trains were already gaining on the canal by is end.  It might only have been a matter of time anyhow, but in one fell swoop it was over.  The families who had made a living by piloting the packets had to find another way to make a living.

In Ohio, more than 20,000 homes were destroyed outright and more than 30,000 or so were deemed uninhabitable.  More than 700 lives were lost in Ohio during the flood. 

Many pictures of Canal Fulton exist today because of the flood.  Many people wanted to record this moment in history.  There is something uncomfortable about seeing water where it isn't supposed to be.  If you go to the Heritage Park, and visit the little museum at the entrance, you will see a water mark on the structure's underpinnings.  This is where the water crested.  You will be amazed.

The system that built Canal Fulton went so fast that the village was virtually frozen in time, and other than fire damage, the place remains much the same in the downtown as the canawler town it was.