Officers

President - Juli Kunesh

Vice President - Ben Kern

Treasure - Trish Sanford-Speiser

Secretary - Diana Bauer

At-Large Board Members

Ginny Sterling - Social Secretary
Rick Fortman - At Large
Camilla Williams - Past President

Flood Pole Project

The Great 1913 Flood

The 1913 Flood is still, to date, Ohio’s largest Natural Disaster.  The response triggered the building of National Guard Armories in Counties across the state which helped Ohio be prepared for it’s response and support of WWI organizing, housing and feeding troops and creating meeting and storage space for important organizations such as the Red Cross.

Flood Poles:
Historic Homes of Defiance began researching Defiance’s Original Plat in 2000 with the intent of nominating a significant number of blocks to an historic district.  The district is significant and eligible for nomination with the National Parks Department because of the people who lived there and the role that they played in Defiance’s part of the Industrial Revolution.  Before the Civil War, in 1861, the USA was fourth in manufacturing behind England, France and Germany.  In less than 40 years, despite battling a bloody Civil War, the USA was able to surpass the manufacturing production of those three countries combined making it an economic super power by the turn of the 20th century.  We accomplished this because every small town in America was making something.  This culture of production had never been seen in world history.   

Four Flood Poles in Defiance

What is a Flood Pole?

Three Flood Poles sit at the confluence of the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers.  They mark three of the highest floods recorded since 1913.  Accurate records were not kept before that time. The project was funded by the Rover Pipeline.

 1.  The Library / Fort Grounds
The Response – Defiance Crescent-News

Thursday, March 27, 1913

“The great yellow flood of muddy water that swept the Maumee Valley and seemed to make Defiance its central point was followed by a fall of pure white snow several inches deep adding to the suffering of those made homeless by the high waters.”

Relief work began immediately and the same paper reported $1,200 was raised in the first fifteen minutes at a Wednesday meeting.  It goes on “This is the time when all must get together as one big family and assist…”

Sherwood and Jewell immediately offered help.  Toledo immediately offered hospital services and then sent $2,000 in cash and 100 cots and blankets.   Three movie theaters in town gave the proceeds from their Sunday shows to flood relief. 

Captain DeKay of the National Guard asked homeowners to notify them if visiting a flood placarded home as his men had orders to shoot on site in an effort to protect against looting. 

Street cars resumed their service Saturday morning and gas was restored to Defiance Saturday night. After six days with no running water, service was restored on Sunday.

Most businesses were back to work on Monday.”

The Toledo Commerce Club arrived in Defiance on Saturday bringing cash, cots & blankets.  “One of the Toledo men took off his overcoat and left it here, saying that it was needed here more.  The Toledo men said that Defiance was harder hit in proportion than any of the other towns and asked why Defiance did not send out an immediate cry for relief.  Mayor Schmaltz informed him that Defiance thought it could take care of itself, but found later that the task was too big.  The only reason for no loss of life here was the vigilance during the high water of the National Guardsmen, police, firemen & other officials,” The Defiance Crescent-News March 31, 1913.

 Caption for the Ft. Grounds Photo:

Library to Place Tablet

The newspaper reported, in more than one edition, that a tablet was to be placed in the library and possibly the Court House to mark the 1913 flood so no one could forget what had happened during that cold, dark week in March.  To our knowledge, that was never done. We hope this project fulfills our ancestor’s request.

Pontiac Park

 The Beginning, Sunday March 23, 1913

The rain began on Sunday, no one knew that the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers would rise to record heights and not crest for four days.  By Monday, the Wabash Pumping Station was completely surrounded by water and its fires were extinguished leaving the residents without treated water.  On Tuesday, the electric lines feeding the East Side were cut as a precaution.  On Wednesday, the Mule Bridge had lost 2 spans at 4:05 AM.  By 9AM water was moving across the floor of the 2nd & Hopkins Street bridges.  By 10Am, the Hopkin’s Street bridge lost its west span when it was struck by a barn and was completely down by 2 PM.  The B&O Railroad Bridge was weighted down with sand bags and a loaded train kept on it the entire time.  Loads of ballast were dumped into the river.

Citizens met to form a Relief Association in the afternoon.  The public schools were let out and opened to those who had lost their homes in the flood.  St. Paul’s M.E., the Presbyterian and Baptist Churches also opened their doors to flood victims.  Families reported going without food for 48 hours and surviving with only the clothes on their backs.  By Wednesday, the entire town was without water or gas and the East Side was also without electricity. 

The “Telephone Girls” stayed at their posts throughout the entire ordeal making sure that calls went through.  The National Guard, local police and fire worked throughout the dark, wet nights until the rivers crested knocking on doors and warning families to evacuate their homes.  

Dealing With the Aftermath

Headquarters for Flood Relief were opened in the Crosby House Hotel at the corner of Wayne and Third.  Citizens were asked to donate cots, bedding or money.  Wagons were sent out to pick up donations. 

The Board of Health was organized to inspect homes and the local Militia Co G were on patrol for looters.

By Friday morning, Sherwood called and offered to send men to help with the cleanup.  Toledo called to offer Hospital services.  Jewell also offered to help raise relief funds.

The Board of health issued the following orders:

Boil all water from wells & cisterns as it contains typhoid fever germs.  The floors and walls should be scrubbed well with what they called “Green Soap”.  It was a liquid soap and should be done as soon as the water recedes.   Cellars must be thoroughly scrubbed and sprinkled with lime.  They advised that Lime was the cheapest and best disinfectant to be had.  268 Houses were placarded as uninhabitable until repaired, disinfected and inspected.

 F.P. Weisenburger & Bro. Ad

Disinfectants and cleaners were in great demand after the flood.

Second Street Bridge & Lower East Side

Citizens stand at the west end of the Second Street Bridge and look across to the flood ravaged lower East Side.  Over 30 homes were lost in just that section of town.  Power lines that had fed the East Side had been cut earlier in the week as the waters rose.  This photo was taken as the waters were receding as snow was only reported after the ordeal.  Photo from the Edward Bronson Collection.

1st and Wayne

Defiance’s Original Plat

Historic Homes of Defiance began researching Defiance’s Original Plat in 2000 with the intent of nominating a significant number of blocks to an historic district.  The district is significant and eligible for nomination with the National Parks Department because of the people who lived there and the role that they played in Defiance’s part of the Industrial Revolution.  Before the Civil War, in 1861, the USA was fourth in manufacturing behind England, France and Germany.  In less than 40 years, despite battling a bloody Civil War, the USA was able to surpass the manufacturing production of those three countries combined making it an economic super power by the turn of the 20th century.  We accomplished this because every small town in America was making something.  This culture of production had never been seen in world history.

This original plat is important because the homes here represent the lives and lifestyles of the men and women who played the leading role in this American story.  Here lived many of the bankers, managers, and business owners who were integral to this history.  By the late 1800’s sixty percent of Ohio’s working population was working in manufacturing.  The homes in this district represent 1860 through 1930. 

The homes here also represent specific architectural styles.  There are homes from the late 1800’s representing the intricate and highly stylized Victorian designs of Greek Revival, Italianate and Queen Ann styles.  Then we begin to move into a more modern style at the turn of the century and see sleeker, less fussy styles such as Arts & Crafts, Prairie and Bungalow.

 1913 – Economic & Architectural Turning Point

As members of Historic Homes of Defiance researched the homes in this district, we realized that the 1913 Flood could have been a real problem in the local economy.  The Miami and Erie Canal running right through the heart of the Original Plat had played a crucial role in Defiance’s development.  The original economy had developed around raw materials such as timber, pot ash, brick, and leather.  Early manufacturing was making simple products such as furniture, plows and stoves that were shipped out via the canal.  Although the canals had been losing out in freight to the railroads, the canal was still playing an important role in the towns who had built their economies around them.  1913 meant that it all had to change.  Men who had worked as machinists and managers at businesses such as Defiance Machine Works, Defiance Box Company, and Defiance Pressed Steel Company saw what was coming and drove Defiance on to compete in much more advanced and technology-based industries.  One such family began their venture right here in this very neighborhood beginning their venture Compo Corporation in their garage which is still seen today as one exit’s the Public Library and looks ahead down the alley to the left. 

Another important venture was All Star Products which built radio transistors.  Its founders were also residents of this neighborhood.  The people from this newer era either significantly remodeled their 19th century homes or built newer and more modern styles from the ground up.  Locals know that even though so many of these homes look 20th century, many still retain the native timbers harvested at Defiance’s beginning and may even contain the fabled remnants of Forts Defiance and Winchester so efficiently drug away and reused by our pioneer founders. 

Today’s view from the same corner.

Bronson Photo Caption:

This photo from the Bronson Collection identifies Don Switzer holding his cap in black.  He is a bookkeeper for the Defiance Machine Works and resides at 317 Jefferson.  The second man down, with a hat, is L.V. Tuttle, the City Editor for the Crescent News.

Kingsbury Park

Modern Measures

 The 1913 Flood was the largest natural disaster to date in Ohio.  Although we cannot control the weather, engineering and planning has done much to mitigate its heavy cost in money and life.

Today’s building codes heavily regulate building in flood plains.  Banking regulations require mortgaged property to carry flood insurance to protect financial interests.  The Federal government, through its FEMA department, offers government backed flood insurance on such properties and helps spread flood risk throughout the country with nationally collected premiums covering local disasters. 

FEMA also offers Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs such as the one used here between 2012 and 2016 .   1.3 million dollars was spent to acquire and demolish homes in Defiance flood plains.  25 homes in the Kingsbury Park neighborhood were converted to green space thus saving the flood insurance program from future flood damage claims. 

Turnbull Wagon Co.

In 1880, the Turnbull Wagon Company was Defiance’s largest employer.    By the 1913 flood, the Turnbull, working closely with the Defiance Machine Works, had become the backbone of the Defiance Economy.  A 1906 report showed annual production at 10,000 farm wagons and 50,000 sets of vehicle wheels with national shipments, via rail, of their products. 

As the waters crested, rumors poured through Defiance that the Turnbull, located on the south bank of the Maumee River, was done for.  It was uninsured against such losses, as were most businesses at that time.  Friday’s Defiance Crescent proclaimed on the front page “Turnbull Co. To Be Resumed”.  The treasurer insisted that cleanup and production would begin immediately and no one fear loss of work.  A temporary office had been set up in the Crosby Hotel, (where flood relief headquarters were also set up), and that losses were estimated at about $15,000.   Accounts show that farmers throughout the area, who depended on work in the Turnbull when they were not in the fields, swarmed into the factory to help rebuild the following week.

The Demise of the Canal

Looking to the north from here, toward the Pontiac Flood Pole, one sees the route of the old Miami & Erie Canal running on the north side of the Maumee River.  On the west side of Clinton St, the canal made a sharp left turn and used the State Bridge or “Mule Bridge”, as it was called, to cross the Maumee and Defiance’s downtown and business district.

Talks had already been underway by the Canal Commission to expand the depth and width of the canals to help them compete with the larger capacities available via rail.  The idea was highly controversial as canals were in great need of repair, and considered a public nuisance by many who thought they had simply fallen behind the superiority of the powerful railroads. 

The 1913 Flood sealed the fate of the canals in Ohio.  Floodwaters had severely damaged much of the canals and its locks, especially in the Dayton and Cincinnati area.  In Defiance, the Mule Bridge went lost its two south spans on day three, Wednesday morning at 4:05 A.M.

Hopkins  St. Bridge

The Hopkins Street Bridge was struck by a barn on Wednesday morning being carried down the flooded Auglaize river.  The barn and the west span of the Hopkins St. Bridge continued on and struck the Second Street Bridge.  Lines running along the bridges to provide electric to Defiance’s East Side had previously been cut in case of such an event leaving the East Side without power for the duration of the event.

Caption for Turnbull Wagon Photo:

Looking northeast of this sign gives a view of the old Turnbull Wagon site.

Hopkins Street Bridge Reconstruction

The 1913 Flood was particularly brutal on the Hopkin’s Street Bridge, which was the only bridge completely destroyed in Defiance County.

Here, Charles Bronson Collection photos capture the construction project (before the days of OSHA and Worker’s Comp) which was completed in just a year and a half.