The Mill River Flood of 1874 Panel

While the rest of the nation converted to steam, the owners of mills on New England rivers resisted making the change. The Mill River supplied power to Northampton's mills, including the prosperous Nonotuck Silk Company, into the 1870's. The mill owners joined forces to build a dam, but nature's forces were greater. The flood of May, 1874 cost 150 lives.