Photograph: Wilton Flood, 1955

Photograph: Wilton Flood, 1955


October 1955 (Date manufactured/created)
5" H X 6 15/16" W
On the night of October 14th, 1955, heavy rains swept through the northeast, bringing over 13 inches of rain to Wilton and Norwalk over the course of only 26 hours. Normally a calm waterway, the Norwalk River flooded its banks and put much of Wilton Center underwater. In the middle of the storm, the failure of the dam at the Gilbert and Bennett factory in Georgetown worsened the flooding downstream. At the end of the flood, nine businesses had lost their entire inventory and twenty-six suffered major flood damage. Eighty-five homes were severely damaged, and floodwaters wiped out eight bridges and damaged several others. Eight people spent the night in trees after being trapped by floodwaters, and two of them had to be rescued by helicopter. Four months after the flood, the Army Corps of Engineers arrived in Wilton to channelize the Norwalk River and reduce the risk that it would flood again.
Anonymous Gift
2017.32.1