Franklin Dec. 1925 - March 1926 Flood and Ice Gorge

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Dec. 1925 - March 1926 Flood and Ice Gorge

Big Rock Span Floating

Erie RR Track Underwater

The story below is an excerpt from �Franklin A Place in History� � Carolee K. Michener, Editor .
This book is available from the Venango County Historical Society, P.O. Box 101, Franklin, PA 16323 814-437-2275

Dr. L. Miller

The photos were taken by Clarence Miller and have been graciously donated by his son, Jim Miller of Minnesota.

Franklin has had a number of floods, battled some hard winters and seen several ice jams on the river and creek. But there was only one 1926. It went on for so long that it is probably the most photographed flood in history. As weather permitted, the Pennsylvania Railroad even carried special coaches out of Pittsburgh so sightseers could come north to view the ice gorges.

It started with a snowfall on December 27, 1925. By early January an ice gorge, 15 to 20 feet high developed in the river at Brandon, south of Franklin. Ice moved out of Oil Creek into the river and then halted when it met the gorge at Brandon. The ice piled up at Big Rock Bridge at the lower end of Franklin, causing the water to rise rapidly there. Families were trapped in their homes on lower Elk Street. Flood waters were frozen inside and outside of the houses.

Late February found the ice above Tionesta starting to move down river, striking the lower ice masses. Within a few hours the river rose 15 feet, pushing ice into the streets, over the railroad tracks, into houses, over the Franklin-Oil City road and causing French Creek to overflow its banks.

On March 21st, the double-decker Big Rock Bridge shuddered and with a roar it crumpled onto the ice. The last street car had just passed over it into Franklin eight minutes before.

Franklin and Oil City and places in between were left with a massive cleanup and $2.5 million in property damage.

1st Street Ball grounds

2 Mile and Whitten Shanty

Big Rock Before

Car in Ice

Elk below Third, Barney

Atlantic Refining-Natl Transit Pump Station Back

O C Road Looking North

Path to get Horses Out of Barn

Tank Carrier

Venango Works

View from 8th Street Bridge

Elk Street Between 2 and 3

Photographs contributed by Jim Miller jimarmil@hbci.com and Chris Miller cmmiller0411@comcast.net
coordinated and transcribed by Penny Haylett-Minnick

Newspaper clippings from storm 1926

1st Street Ball grounds

contributed by Sheila Barr Helser