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The 1913 Flood on the Lower Muskingum River
An Eyewitness Account
My grandfather, Lawrence Budd, born in 1887, was 26 at the time of the 1913 flood. Married to Myrtle Snow Budd, they had two daughters, Madge 3, and Mildred, 1. They lived five miles northwest of Waterford on the original Jared Budd Farm, which was a little over one mile from the small stop of Beckett on the B & O Railroad line between Waterford and Malta along the Muskingum River.
Lawrence and Myrtle’s farm, near the Maple Grove Church and School, was on Coryhill Road, whi
ch runs north off of Milner Road and continues down to Sparling Road along the Muskingum River from Waterford past Relief, the location of the former Ohio Power generating plant. Sparling Road becomes Swift Road between Beckett and Swift where it finally is named Luke Chute Road, ending at the locks by that same name. In those early years the road used to continue on up a very steep hill on its way into Morgan County. However, that section of the road was closed after the automobile replaced the horse and buggy in the early twentieth century as the grade was too steep for cars of that era. Google Earth Image of Beckett & the Budd farm locationMy grandfather told of this catastrophic flood, which began one day in late March, 1913. Granddad said he had made a trip to the store at Beckett, located just across the railroad tracks from the river road near the intersection of Coryhill Road and Sparling Road. It was a rainy day and there was concern about the possibility of another spring flood, which in those days seemed to be almost a yearly occurrence, especially when heavy rains accompanied the spring thaw.
Floods were nothing new for the residents of the area, especially the store owners, whose businesses were located along the banks of the Muskingum. There had been several floods in the early years of the new century and the 1910 flood had set a new record. Granddad had tied his horse and buggy in front of the Beckett Store and was waiting to purchase a few items to take home that afternoon when the phone rang. The storekeeper spoke with someone on the line for a few minutes and then hung up, alarmed by what he had been told.
He related to Lawrence and several others who were there that the call had come from a U. S. government official who tried to keep track of severe weather conditions and any potential danger. The official had said people should prepare for a flood which would be 8 feet higher than the highest level ever reached.
The storekeeper then went to a mark on the wall which was the highest level recorded at that location and said that if this report was true, the water would extend onto the second floor of the building, well above the 10 foot ceiling of the first floor. He then said that since he had always moved his merchandise onto the second floor during flooding, he would have to move it all to another location well out of the expected flood area. My grandfather purchased the items he needed and said that if the flood seemed to be rising faster than expected, the store owner should give him a call and he would come back with his wagon and help with the removal of the store's contents.
As Granddad arrived home, my Grandmother met him, saying she had just received a call that the water was rising very fast and that Lawrence should return to the Beckett Store with the wagon as soon as possible to help move the merchandise to high ground. So Granddad hitched his horse to the farm wagon and went back to help with the move. He had parked the wagon above the railroad
tracks and by the time they removed the last items, they were wading in water up to their knees and the river was lapping just a few inches from the tracks.He said that it was a good thing those who were projecting the extent of the flooding had called with this alert since by the next morning the store, which had been at that location for many years and weathered several previous floods, had been washed down the river. That same fate was shared by many other structures along the mighty Muskingum.
Not only was the store at Beckett lost to the flood but so were several homes in Beverly and Waterford, some five miles down river. In addition, half of the wooden covered bridge connecting Beverly and Waterford was washed away. In Marietta, the river rose to nearly 60 feet – more than 25 feet above flood stage - and in Beverly, the water was lapping at the base of the bank building on the corner of 5th and Ferry Streets - just one-half block from my boyhood home.
My grandfather’s sister, Sadie Budd, who for many years had been the telephone switchboard operator for the communities, often remarked that she hoped those who were farming the area of Beverly between 4th Street and the river would be careful with their horses and tractors since many homes that had "dug" cisterns were swept away in the flood, leaving these hazards behind.
Throughout my childhood and teen years there were many floods along the Muskingum River. I remember being about 4 years old and riding my tricycle into the 1939 flood waters across the street from the Presbyterian Church at the corner of 4th and Ferry Streets in Beverly. Then in the 1940's, when I was about 9 or 10 years old, I helped our pastor move out of his home on Ferry Street between 3rd & 4th Street, across from the old Beverly Hotel. (My grandfather, C.L. (Roy) Sprague built the first modern supermarket in this location in the early '50s and runoff from winter snows and spring rains occasionally threatened his business as well - but the series of fourteen flood control dams, built in the 1930s on the tributaries of the Muskingum, have kept floods from reaching such high levels.)
However, these less damaging floods which seemed to come on a regular basis during my childhood could not begin to compare with the 1913 flood - which still holds the record for high water as well as lives and property lost throughout the state of Ohio.
Budd L. Sprague
View More Photos in the 1913 Flood Album
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This is a very interesting story ,I remember hearing lots of stories over the years .Every time the river would go over the banks we would go to see it, and Someone would always say "you should have seen the `13 one ". Last one I remember was probably `39 when we went to McConnelsville and saw ( I think it was Braggs service station ) surrounded by about three feet of water .Very good story ,we need more like it . Bernie
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