Title	1937 Ohio River flood in Ironton
Subject	Floods--Ohio--Ohio River Ohio River--History Central business districts Storefronts--United States--Pictorial works Floods Disasters Ohio--History--Pictorial works Federal Writers' Project
Time Period	1930s 1940s
Place	Ironton (Ohio) Lawrence County (Ohio)
Description	Caption reads: "CL 3421 'Acme Photo' Cleveland Bureau. Ironton Menaced By Torrents. Heavy loss was feared in Ironton, O., a general view of which is shown above, as flood waters from the swollen Ohio river bore down on the city of 20,000. Center of important lumber and mining interests, Ironton also has large iron and cement plants. Extensive preparations were made to insure safety of inhabitants as the flood crest neared the city. List #27 Bureaus. Your Credit Line Must Read (Acme)." This photograph of Ironton is approximately centered on the Lawrence County Courthouse (also housing the Lawrence County Bar & Library), which is located at 111 South 4th Street. Also visible is the Ironton - Russell Bridge. This light-blue cantilever bridge, built in 1922, carries two lanes of traffic and a narrow sidewalk and connects Campbell Avenue in Ironton to Etna Street on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. In 2000, the Ohio Department of Transportation released a report recommended the replacement of the then 78 year old span. The bridge was retrofitted in the 1970s with strengthening beams and plates. Later inspection of the bridge revealed that these plates had been welded to the bridge using techniques that violated the bridge welding codes and reduced the fatigue strength of primary load members. As a result of these findings, ODOT added reinforcements to some vertical members to improve structural redundancy. The bridge will still be forced to close when temperatures approach -5 degrees Fahrenheit due to the brittle nature of the steel used. Continuous monitoring is routine during temperatures below freezing to check for any cracking in the substructure of the span. In addition, in May 2008, ODOT placed a width restriction on the bridge, banning all vehicles that are wider than 7 ft. 6 in. The greatest volume of water ever known to pass along Ohio's southern shores flooded all Ohio River communities during the last two weeks of January 1937. With damage stretching from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois, 1 million were left homeless, with 385 dead and property losses reaching $500 million, further worsened by the fact that it occurred during the Great Depression and just a few years after the Dust Bowl. Crests were 20 to 28 feet above flood stage and 4 to 9 feet above previous records. Six to 12 inches of rain fell in Ohio during January 13-25, 1937, totals never before or since experienced over such a large area of Ohio. January 1937 remains as the wettest month ever recorded in Ohio.
Creator	Ohio Federal Writers' Project; Acme Photo
Date of Original	1937
Collection	Ohio Guide Photographs
Source	State Archives Series 1039 AV
Submitting Institution	Ohio Historical Society
Rights	Online access is provided for research purposes only. For rights and reproduction requests or more information, go to http://www.ohiohistory.org/images/information
Type	StillImage
File Name	SA1039AV_B08F11_006_1.tif
Image Height	5951
Image Width	5462
File Size	97536956 Bytes
Display File Type	image/jp2
Format	picture
Date created	2010-04-30
Date modified	2011-06-16

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1937 Ohio River flood in Ironton

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