It was almost 90 years ago that our area experienced a flood that brought heavy damage, destruction, and fear to our area.  It was the third major flood in less than 10 years and it was much worse than either of its two predecessors.

            Unlike the floods of 1925 and 1933, the series of events leading up to the flood

The swollen Perkiomen Creek covered the Fruitville Road bridge in Upper Hanover Township.

of July 10, 1935, began when a welcomed rainfall quenched the thirst of the area after a period of drought.  The life-giving liquid fell from the sky as intermittent showers throughout the day.  It became a steady rain by nightfall.  By Tuesday morning, the welcomed weather became a torrential terror.  The parched earth couldn't drink the water fast enough.  Rain in sheets fell into our Valley.  Water in volumes that pumped up the strength of local creeks to the point where nine dams fell.  Five in Powder Valley, two in Hereford, and two in Green Lane gave way under the raging force.  The rapid floodwaters ravaged the region for almost 10 hours.

            The Perkiomen Creek rose to a depth of 15 feet above the roadway of Route 29 at Millside.  So deep and strong were the currents that they lifted the old Mill-Side Tavern from its foundation.  A Town & Country account reported that the building was

An auto sprays water as it makes its way along Seminary Street in Pennsburg.

hurled with a deafening crash against trees and accumulated debris.  The building then went to pieces.

            Just to the north, in the Powder Valley and Hosensack areas, the usually peaceful Indian Creek became an enraged carrier of devastation as it tore apart dam after dam, virtually wiping out the mills that depended on the normally calm flow to power their wheels.  Almost 60 feet of Perkiomen Railroad track was left suspended in midair when the dam at Stahl's Mill broke, and the rushing water eroded the embankment where the track rested. 

            Among the victims of the Macoby Creek waters was the popular Shady Nook Resort in Upper Hanover Township.  Much of the park's equipment, along with sections

Sixty feet of the Perkiomen Railroad bed was washed away near Hosensack leaving the rails suspended in air.

of what is now Route 663, was washed away in that area of the Pennsburg-Geryville highway.

            The damage to farms was described as inestimable.  Many cultivated fields were awash in deep gullies as the fertile soil was carried away.  In corn fields, most of the drought-affected crops were too small to sustain a great loss from the heavy rain.  But the horror stories abounded about chicken-coops, brooder houses, and other outbuildings that washed away.

            A bit of local history was lost when the supports of the Swinging Bridge gave way under the increasing pressure of the water and debris piling up against it.  The quaint Upper Hanover Township crossing was originally built for the convenience of school children.  Over the years, it became a popular Perkiomen Creek landmark

Barns and garages were damaged near the intersection of Route 63 and Route 29 in Green Lane and the intersection was badly washed out from the flood.

enjoyed by many residents and area visitors. 

            In Green Lane, the Macoby rose nearly to the top of the walls of the bridge Route 29 uses to cross it.  Five feet of water flooded the basement of the F. F. Sowers store.  Automobiles at Samuel Gerhart's Trading Post were covered with water.  Eighteen inches of water flooded the office of the Fred Kleinbach Coal and Lumber Yard.  At the H. S. Embody & Sons mill near Perkiomenville, a crib containing 12 tons of corn was washed away.

            The earlier flood brought destruction that was estimated in the tens of thousands of dollars.  The estimate of the destruction wrought upon our area in 1935 was $1 million.  In the middle of our nation's Great Depression, this was something the residents of our Valley were ill-prepared to cope with.

            Electric and phone lines fell as the power of the raging waters washed away poles.  Gas mains broke when the bridges they used to span the waterways succumbed to the weight of the debris pushed against them by the rapid current.  County health officials issued warnings to local residents to "boil their water" to prevent a breakout of typhoid fever.  Local fire companies used their trucks to pump water from basements and fire police were stationed at flooded roadways to warn motorists of the danger ahead. 

            Employees from Philadelphia Electric visited the homes of area customers to turn off gas service on their entire line in East Greenville, Pennsburg, Red Hill, and Green Lane.  The usually peaceful vacation spot of the Upper Perkiomen Valley was under siege by thousands of people who flocked to witness the destruction brought by the "great flood".  Sightseers clogged the roadways as the task of cleaning up commenced.   

            Pennsylvania Power and Light and the Philadelphia Electric Company repaired electric and gas lines in record time.  The main phone lines destroyed at Millside were quickly replaced by temporary lines.  By Wednesday afternoon, most public utilities were restored.  The roads and highways opened up soon after the waters receded, but some required extensive work on the shoulders that were swept away.  With the bridge at Millside destroyed, State Highway officials took the opportunity to rebuild and widen the span.  The State Highway Department hired about 75 additional workers to help patch and repair bridges and roads. 

            Flood damage shut down the Perkiomen Railroad line from Collegeville to Allentown.  The day after the flood of 1935, the Reading Company ordered all railroad carpenters from the New York and Philadelphia divisions to the scene of the damage in Powder Valley.  Sixty feet of railroad bed, washed away after the dam at Elmer Stahl's mill broke, needed to be replaced.  It took 75 carloads of fill and two carloads of lumber to accomplish the task.  The dam may have interrupted the source of power for Stahl's mill, but he reported "business as usual" the day after the flood, when he resorted to a tractor to power his mill. 

            Oscar Bitler, owner of Millside Park, announced that even though his dance hall and tavern were washed away by the flood, his business would continue in the mill building for which the park was named.  The mill was renovated a few years prior and housed the park's bowling alleys.

            Farmers throughout the area were not as fortunate.  They would never be able to recover the fertile soil that washed away with the rushing waters.  Many of the dams that broke along the Indian and Perkiomen Creeks were still used to power mills.  Most of those dams were never rebuilt, and many of the mills that relied upon them ceased operation. 

            We live in the Upper Perkiomen Valley, and by the very nature of a valley, it is prone to floods.  What is interesting to note is that throughout the three floods we've talked about (1925, 1933, 1935), the words federal or state aid were not found.  The work ethics of local residents, along with an enormous amount of independence, pride, and a little help from friends and neighbors seemed to always carry them through. 

            And that's not a bad thing.