with co-director and author Elizabeth Sharpe

Join co-director Elizabeth Sharpe on a hike to the ruins of the Williamsburg reservoir dam in Williamsburg, Massachusetts.  On May 16, 1874, the 42-foot tall earthen dam suddenly burst, unleashing one hundred acres of water onto the valley below. Within an hour, the flood devastated the villages of Williamsburg, Skinnerville, Haydenville, and Leeds; 139 persons were dead.  It was the first major dam disaster in US history.

Dr. Sharpe will discuss the dam’s siting, construction, the flood itself, and the inquiry into who was responsible.  Elizabeth Sharpe is the author of In the Shadow of the Dam: The Aftermath of the Mill River Flood of 1874 (Free Press, 2004).

The trail is approximately 1.5 miles total, of moderate difficulty, with some steep, slippery, and rugged portions. 

This program is offered in conjunction with Williamsburg Woodland Trails.