Remembering the Flood of 1955

In August 1955 a massive flood swept through Litchfield County, Conn., caused by what  an article in The Lakeville Journal at that time described as “great rattling curtains of rain.”

The fast-moving  torrents of water impacted nearly every town in this largely rural county. It was the more developed towns that were hardest hit. The impact of the rushing waters was bad enough in the country towns,  which still had, largely, unpaved roads and smaller-scale residential and commercial buildings. 

But in the more developed towns such as Torrington and the once-thriving Winsted (which has a river running through its downtown area), the destruction was deeper and more complete. 

Paved roads, factories and storefronts were completely crushed. Rebuilding would require a Herculean effort and a great deal of money. 

Town residents pulled together. Torrington eventually came back to life. But in Winsted, it was harder. There are people who say that this factory town never quite recovered, spiritually or economically, from the flood of ‘55.

The Torrington Historical Society will host an online program about the flood on Wednesday, May 19, at 6:30 p.m. The talk is free to the public and is sponsored by Connecticut Humanities.  

Torrington Historical Society Executive Director Mark McEachern will focus on the impact the flood had on Torrington in his talk, “Black Friday: The Flood of 1955.”

According to the preview information on the show, in the flood of 1955, “Torrington sustained its worst disaster on record. Seven lives were lost, 20 homes and 28 firms were destroyed and there was extensive damage to homes, businesses and industries. 

“But, in a spirit not seen before or since, people came together, helped their neighbors and with the aid of state and federal services, rebuilt their city. “

To illustrate his talk, McEachern will share photos from the historical society’s extensive collection of images of the flood and its aftermath, including many taken by professional photographer James Miller, a Torrington resident. 

The photos here are not from Torrington; they are from Winsted. They were in the files for The Lakeville Journal issue of Aug. 25, 1955. That issue can be seen in our online archive https://scoville.advantage-preservation.com. Although you won’t see all these Winsted photos, you can read about and learn how our small area towns weathered the storm.

To register, go to the Torrington Historical Society  home page at www.torringtonhistoricalsociety.org.

Lakeville Journal file photos

Lakeville Journal file photos