On March 18, 1936, The Morning Herald announced startling news to its readers – the Potomac River was rising over a foot an hour in Williamsport. By the day’s end, the buildings at Cushwa Basin were submerged, the Potomac Edison power plant had shut down, and the Potomac River at Williamsport had risen to 48.6 feet.
This flooding was part of the Great Northeastern Flood of 1936, which reached from Maine to Maryland. Also known as the Great Potomac Flood, it directly impacted Williamsport and Hancock, flooding over 300 homes along the Potomac River. In light of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton’s recent destruction, the Great Flood of 1936 reminds us that people in the past and present have joined together during troubling times to support each other.
January and February 1936 brought heavy snowfall to the mid-Atlantic and northeastern regions of the US. However, as a warmer March arrived, snow and ice began melting. Along with heavy rains, the streams and rivers rose. By March 17 and 18, rain and flooding affected every state in New England, along with Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington D.C.