In August 1955, within just over a week, two hurricanes passed through Southern New England, causing devastating flooding across much of the region. The first, Hurricane Connie, arrived on August 11 and 12, delivering 4 to 6 inches of rainfall. This heavy rain saturated the ground and raised river and reservoir levels to above normal, setting the stage for even worse flooding.
Only a week later, Hurricane Diane struck, dealing a massive blow to New England. Rainfall from Diane reached nearly 20 inches in some areas over just two days, with Connecticut’s Farmington River headwaters recording an astonishing 18 inches in 24 hours—setting new records for the region. The resulting floods were equally historic.
In the Connecticut River Valley, significant flooding occurred primarily along the Chicopee, Westfield, and Farmington Rivers. However, due to the heaviest rainfall remaining south of Massachusetts, the main stem of the Connecticut River saw high but not record-breaking flows. In Westfield, MA, the Westfield River surged to nearly 5 feet above its previous record.
While these hurricanes impacted the entire Atlantic Coast from North Carolina to Massachusetts, Connecticut bore the brunt of the destruction. Out of the 180 lives lost, 77 were in Connecticut, where property damage exceeded $350 million of the total $680 million across the region. Additionally, over 200 dams in New England experienced partial or total failures, many located in the Thames and Blackstone headwaters south of Worcester.
On August 18, 1955, rain began pouring over Wilbraham in the early morning hours, continuing relentlessly until midday on the 19th. Torrential downpours struck through the night, intensifying after midnight. One motorist traveling along Boston Road around 2:00 a.m. on Friday described the scene: "The rain fell not in drops as rain should, but in elongated masses joined together like a string of sausages.” With the ground already saturated from earlier storms, it could absorb no more water. Small brooks swelled into “raging torrents,” tearing away earth, rocks, and even entire roadways in their path.
As daylight broke, townspeople awoke to a transformed landscape. For those living near streams or on low-lying land, new rivers had appeared where roads had been, while residents in flat areas saw entire acres swallowed by floodwaters. Many in both areas found their basements submerged. The roar of water tumbling down the mountainside was said to echo across town.
Fortunately, there was no wind to accompany the rain—spared from further disaster, aside from dislodged buildings and flooded basements. The roads to the mountainside were heavily impacted, with washouts on nearly every mountainside road except for a stretch of Mountain Road between Ridge Road and Main Street.
In North Wilbraham, Spear Brook and Twelve Mile Brook inflicted the most severe damage. Spear Brook carved a 10-foot-deep gorge through Mountain Road, between 182 and 218 Mountain Road. At 182 Mountain Road, the torrent breached the side basement wall, sweeping through the house and out the other side, carrying away the basement's contents, rocks, and soil in its path. The powerful water and debris then barreled toward the property’s barn, undermining its foundation until it collapsed into a newly formed 15-foot-deep gorge, taking a tractor with it. Restoring the grades alone at this property required 6,000 cubic yards of fill.
As Spear Brook continued down the mountain, it struck the culvert beneath the railroad tracks, washing it out entirely and leaving the tracks suspended 10 to 12 feet above a newly carved 40-foot-wide gorge. The water, laden with rocks, soil, and debris, then rushed toward the property known at the time as Bready Auction Center at 2957 Boston Road. Upon reaching the culvert under Boston Road, the torrent surged into the Chicopee River. The force of the flood deposited three feet of soil and rock onto the concrete roadway, covering over 100 yards of road running alongside the riverbank.
Twelve Mile Brook, a larger stream than Spear Brook, proved even more destructive. Just east of Crane Hill Road, it damaged a house under construction, leaving a wide gorge where the brook had once flowed beneath the road. The waters then broke through the dam that had held water for the Collins Paper Mill, sending an even greater surge toward the railroad tracks. When the torrent hit, it scoured away the fill beneath the tracks, suspending about 250 feet of double tracks 60 feet above the brook.
Reaching Boston Road, the rushing water lifted and carried 50-foot slabs of concrete road surface, creating a new river that flowed the remaining short distance into the Chicopee River. With both brooks ravaging the landscape, East Wilbraham was effectively cut off from the rest of town, along with sections of Mountain, Crane Hill, and Glendale Roads.
Most town roads became passable within three to four days; however, some required extensive repairs that took up to three weeks, as was the case for the railroad and Boston Road. Fortunately, the water level dropped rapidly after reaching its peak, allowing undamaged roads to return to nearly normal conditions by nightfall that same day.
One remarkable story from the historic 1955 flood is that of Roger and Gail Whitehill’s wedding. On August 20, 1955, Gail Moore and Roger Whitehill were set to be married at Grace Union Church. But just a day before, They learned that all the roads coming down from the mountain had been washed out. Roger was on Bennett Road, while Gail lived on Butler Hill. With phone lines and electricity down, there was no way to reach her. Friday night, as the streams receded, Roger walked down Silver Street to Gail’s house so they could decide what to do about their wedding.
Boston Road was impassable near Crane Hill Road, where the fire department had stationed a rowboat at the washout. Roger spoke with Fire Chief Tupper, he arranged for Fireman George King to row them across the flooded section. Town crews worked tirelessly to make some roads passable, allowing their families to make it to the church. Their last worry was the minister, who was up at Camp Drum for National Guard training. He drove down and persuaded police to let him pass roadblocks, explaining he had a wedding to officiate in Wilbraham. Despite all the challenges, the ceremony began just twenty minutes late, and at last, they were married.
A couple of fascinating tidbits about the flood were brought to life by Michael Dane. One involves the culvert used for the 12-Mile Brook, which was ingeniously repurposed by Ray Riddle and remains in place to this day.
Another tale highlights Carl Trant, who was just a teenager at the time but already knew how to operate a bulldozer. When the crew working on repairs went home for the day, Carl would “borrow” the machine. Michael's grandfather even hired him to repair the damage at 100 Crane Hill, which had been completely washed out by the flood.
However, the owners of the bulldozer suspected something was amiss. To stop any unauthorized use, they removed the rotor from the distributor on the pony motor that started the machine. But Carl was a resourceful young man. He managed to source a replacement rotor and continued working the bulldozer.
Michael, just a year and a half old at the time, vividly remembers being at the exact location where the photo above, with the bulldozer, was taken. One of his earliest memories is of Ray Riddle yelling at him, “Get out of there!” – likely for his own safety.
These vivid recollections breathe life into history, enriching the narrative and making it all the more compelling. My deepest gratitude goes to Roger and Michael for their invaluable contributions.
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