Events, Places

The Floods of Morris

Donna Foote

On the evening of Saturday, July 17, 2021, heavy rain in the area caused flooding in the Towns of Butternuts, Morris, and Pittsfield. This area also experienced recent flooding in 2014 and 2006.

Eerily similar to the most recent flooding is a description of a flood that occurred in 1902. The following is an excerpt about that flood from Joyce Foote’s book, Morris, New York – 1773-1923:

On July 20, 1902, Silver Creek reached flood stage and overflowed its banks inundating Main, Grove, and Broad Streets. An unusually heavy summer rain caused the deluge. The waters raged downstream, flowed under the Main Street bridge, flooded the business district, and continued down South Broad Street. The Grove Street bridge could not contain the remaining waters and another flood occurred there, too. These waters also flowed toward South Broad Street where they joined the stream from the four corners and continued down South Broad to the Butternut. All three of these streets were littered with debris as the waters receded and returned to their natural channel and usual calm demeanor.

The most recent floodwaters took a similar path causing damage to roadways and buildings on Main, Grove, and South Broad Streets in the village. Additional damage occurred throughout the towns of Morris, Butternuts, and Pittsfield.

The following photos tell the story.

Saturday, July 17 – Sunday, July 18, 2021

Courtesy of Aleathea Rivera
Courtesy of Aleathea Rivera
Courtesy of Aleathea Rivera
Fire House, Main Street – courtesy of Mindy Madison
Fire House interior – courtesy of Mindy Madison
Courtesy of Mindy Westcott
Grove Street Bridge – courtesy of Jim Foote
Grove Street Bridge – courtesy of Jim Foote
Grove Street Bridge – courtesy of Ann Pasternak
Courtesy of Ann Pasternak
Courtesy of Ann Pasternak
Main Street – courtesy of Ann Pasternak
Courtesy of Ann Pasternak
Courtesy of Ann Pasternak
Spring Street between Morris Central School and The Grove – courtesy of Carolyn Pasternak
State Route 51 near All Saints Chapel – courtesy of Jim Foote
State Route 51 south – courtesy of Jim Foote

Special thanks to those whose photos and videos I used for this blog: Jim Foote, Leland Hoag. Mindy Madison, Ann Pasternak, Carolyn Pasternak, and Aleathea Rivera. Thank you for capturing this event!

Published by Donna Foote

2 thoughts on “The Floods of Morris”

  1. Great job putting that together. A SUNY professor who lives down NYS Highway 51 south of the village near the Hannah Cooper Monument measured rainfall of 3.5 inches in one hour before the flash flood.

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