Huntington Wv A Time In History Essay

Huntington Wv, A Time In History Essay, Research Paper

Abstract This paper introduces the City of Huntington, and briefly discusses its founding. It also explains how the 1937 flood of the Ohio River had a severe impact on Huntington and the people that lived there. This Essay also speaks of the damage in numbers of the flood and the steps taken to prevent this devastating incident from happening again. Finally, the essay discusses how that there is a message to be derived from the survival of this flood; to inhibit the chance of disaster in the case of another sudden emergency. In 1937, the Ohio River suddenly flooded its banks and found its way into the bordering city of Huntington. There it quickly covered everything in its way leaving behind a path of destruction that would wreak havoc on the city’s structure and the lives of the people who worked and lived there.The people of Huntington shared a special correlation with the river. It was a main reason for their city’s existence, along with the migrating and settling of the land on which it was built. This powerful river was literally the river of life for the rapidly growing city of Huntington, however it was also the same powerful river that overwhelmingly took the city’s life away. The citizens of Huntington may have also died with the city, had it not been for the morals and values of humanity that were anchored so deeply in their roots. But through love and respect of each other, they had overcome the devastating blow that had become of the river. Keeping their eyes focused upon the important things in life, the people quickly recovered and promptly pronounced their city’s rebirth! A Brief History Huntington, West Virginia’s second largest city, was planned and built along the southern bank of the Ohio River in 1871. The location where Huntington was built had already been established as a transfer point between riverboats and horsedrawn vehicles since the early 1800’s. By 1873, Huntington, just three years old, had become the final link and a vital artery to the Transcontinental Railroad, which would then link the eastern United States coast with the western United States coast. The city of Huntington received its name in honor of the great railroad boss, Collis P. Huntington, who had come to the Ohio Valley region in search of a site on which to build an important railroad link. Mr. Huntington had seen some of the largest cities in the nation before he arrived here in the valley, and after seeing the huge, wide-open bottoms along the Ohio River, he knew that the potential for a great city and railroad junction lay right beneath his feet. This was an economic goal as well as a personal endeavor for Mr. Huntington. The community of Huntington was incorporated as a city by an act, passed by the West Virginia Legislature on February 27,1871. Shortly following this act more lot sales began. With completion of the railway, the city now offered both train and riverboat access and Huntington grew into a major transportation center almost overnight. Located at a junction of three states, Huntington had an advantage with access to natural elements and fuels like coal, wood, gas, and other minerals. This attracted many new industries and manufacturers, which made jobs and increased population over and over again. Huntington quickly grew from a town into a city of full force. (Miller 9) 1937 Flood of Huntington The next 66 years were kind and prosperous for the City of Huntington, even in hard times. It was the 1937 flood that brought this great city to her knees abruptly. When the mighty Ohio River came raging out of its banks it imposed terror on anything that dared to enter its path. Huntington was almost three-quarters covered in floodwater. A flood like this, so unexpected and dramatic, usually does its worst damage in the days of recession as people wander aimlessly in chaos to gather what they could find to survive. (Lowell 148)The people that lived in Huntington and its suburbs, however, were obviously of a different nature, for they survived the horrible aftermath in stride. The people of this city pulled together like one enormous close-stitched family, turning bad into good. I live in the community of Westmoreland, the most western part of Huntington, where most of the people today still have those family-like values. Paul Black, a Huntington and Westmoreland native, has lived here all of his life, and he worked as a fireman for the city for many years. I spoke with him about the great flood, to which he was a witness. Eyewitness Account “One of the biggest events in my history was the 1937 flood, which covered almost all of Huntington. As a resident of the Westmoreland area, I recall that the only dry spot of my neighborhood was on the corner of Piedmont Road and Camden Road. The worst part about it was that when the water started to rise, it came swiftly and brutally. Everyone moved out and went to higher ground. The people that lived here realized what a big flood could do, so everyone who had a boat was available to help those who didn’t. They would make several trips to the house to get stuff and bring it back to dry land. We picked up all of the food that we could gather from the houses along the river by boat, and took it over to the old Thompson’s Stove Factory, which is now Corbin’s Clothing Factory.

“People were putting cows and other livestock on second floors. One fellow, named Henry Williams, had his h