We traveled to Portsmouth, Ohio last weekend and saw the gentle Ohio River meandering along the Ohio/Kentucky border. The rocky wilderness on the left is Kentucky, the civilized swath on the right is Ohio. Quite a contrast.
As it turns out, the river can be a little moody. It rose in 1937.
And rose some more,
till it crested at 74.23 feet. Nearly 700 families were evacuated, more than 35,000 people were left homeless, and 60% of the homes were destroyed. There was but one fatality.In the intervening years, floodgates were built,
and a floodwall. This is the river side of the wall, reaching 20 feet high and stretching 2,200 feet long.
And this is the city side of the wall, a pretty amazing series of 52 murals.
In her early years, O's mom played on an older flood wall, the one that was breached, and she watched showboats on the river. The water didn't quite make it into her family's second floor apartment that year--but it came close.
Mom was one of the evacuees and remembers going to a school that served as a shelter where residents were given diphtheria and typhoid injections. She stayed with relatives for the next two weeks. It was more of an adventure than a crisis from a little girl's perspective.
An early plat map of Portsmouth, showing where our Scioto River meets the Ohio
A mural kitty
Robbert Dafford painted these scenes of Portsmouth between 1993 and 2002.
Stagecoach (left) and Hanging Rock Iron Region (right)
During the latter half of the 1800's the iron region produced most of the country's iron.
Ohio & Erie Canal
The canal carried freight from 1827 to 1861, when railroads came into favor. It served as a water source until 1913, when another flood destroyed critical sections.
Portsmouth Soldiers in Gettysburg
Early Days of Agriculture
Trainyard
Confluence, Scioto River (background) and Ohio River
Millbrook Park, New Boston
New Boston is now completely surrounded by Portsmouth.
O tries to reason with the Conductors
Government Square, 1919
We had to rescue our friend Lewie who was about to be trampled by Roy's horse, Trigger. Roy Rogers was a cowboy singer in the 1930's and a film and television actor through the early 1960's. He and his father worked in a Portsmouth shoe factory.
Greyhound Bus Station, 1939
1937 Flood
This was by far the most moving of the murals. Click to enlarge.
Robt. E. Lee in the Fog
I wanted to step into some of the paintings.
This fellow did. He's Clarence Carter, a Portsmouth artist.
Portsmouth Railroads, 1950's
Portsmouth Health Care
Soldiers, World War I to Gulf War
(I propose we stop sending our children to war when we run out of wall.)
Scioto County Fair
"Twilight," view from Kentucky across the Ohio River to Portsmouth
Dedication Plaque, 2002
5 comments:
When I was young, my Uncle Gene lived and worked in Portsmouth. I used to spend time there, and my cousin and I would play atop the old flood walls (or maybe they were these new ones) which were only a block or so away from his house.
Portsmouth was a rough and vibrant town back then, but also pretty neat to a kid. I have a real fondness for these Ohio River towns, and could see myself living in one.
I love the murals. They are great. I'm glad you put shots of them up. I really enjoy this "visit" and post.
Thank you, Scribe, I'm happy you enjoyed the post.
I was born in Ohio and spent all but a few years here. I can't believe I didn't know about the murals before now. I'm more into natural history than the textbook-names-and-dates kind, but the story told by the murals really grabbed me.
Beautiful post Jain...from the ages of 1-6 I lived by the Ohio River in Cicinnati...I remember high water and the river well from then.
I loved your post and photos!
Smiles,
Wanda
What a wonderful idea, to put murals on a floodwall! I just returned from the river Rhine, I was born in a town on it's banks. We put our trust in the dikes. But even when I was a child lots of cellars got flooded every spring and these days the water gets to the first floor of many of the houses. Maybe a floodwall would be a good idea, but it would spoil the lovely river views :)
Thanks for the beautiful mural pics, very interesting!
Thank you, Wanda, it seems that a lot of people have a connection to the Ohio River. I grew up near the Scioto, and remember some awesome floods there, too. Water is a powerful force, isn't it?
Jenny, my first thought when I saw the wall was, "Wow, impressive!" But soon thereafter, I thought what a shame it was that the view of the river was obliterated by all that concrete.
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