By Marilyn Fish
On November 4, 1927, Becket experienced a natural disaster that changed the lives and challenged the fortitude of its entire population. Most present-day residents have heard of the flood of ‘27, but not all are aware that Becket was one of many cities and towns in New England that were nearly destroyed by a rare tropical storm that tracked landward, dropping torrential rains over much of the region. In addition the ground had been saturated by heavy rains in late October, leaving lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and swamps at medium-to-high levels. Throughout New England many trusty, old, timber-and-stone bridges and dams that had served for more than 50 years could not withstand the torrents of water. Becket’s Wheeler Dam, which held back the waters of the Claflin-Wheeler Reservoir, was one such structure. The reservoir was a fifty-acre body of water located southeast of the junction of Fred Snow Road and Route 8, and was owned by Joseph C. Ballou. On November 4 Mr. Ballou worried and watched as the dam foundered and broke, releasing a rushing wall of water toward the center of the village. Many residents heard the warning horn sounded by Ballou’s car as he sped through the streets, and others received telephone warnings from Patrick B. McCormick. Some managed to flee to higher ground. The full force of the flood soon washed away most of Becket’s mills and commercial enterprises, many houses, and the main road all the way south to Bonny Rigg Four Corners, which was completely blocked by boulders.
The next day the Boston Globe reported, “The townsfolk of this flood-wrecked area saw the sun rise this morning on the ruins that once were the pretty little Berkshire town of Becket,” adding, “tornado, earthquake, or war could have done no more harm to Becket than did the flood.” Main Street had become a ravine between 30 and 40 feet deep, littered with wrecked houses, battered automobiles, and drowned farm animals. Many villagers were left homeless and helpless as the town became a sea of mud accessible only from Washington. The only death attributed directly to the flood was that of Mrs. Augustine Carroll, 77. She had refused to leave her home when warned and tragically died of a broken neck as the deluge carried her downstream along with timbers, trees, and boulders.
A committee was swiftly formed to plan methods of rehabilitation. Several private citizens, civic groups, and businesses donated money to supplement state funds which were expected to cover only the cost of rebuilding the roads. By November 11 the local relief fund had amassed $17,330 (more than $300,000 in 2024 dollars). Members of the Red Cross and the Boy Scouts gathered to help feed and clothe citizens in need. Martial law was declared when looters began ravaging destroyed properties. Fifty state troopers kept strangers out of town by turning them back in Hinsdale.
More than 500 men worked at rebuilding Becket, with another 50 from the state highway department busy repairing the roads. Steam shovels, tractors, and trucks created a temporary route through Bonny Rigg Four Corners to allow access to Springfield. The Walsh Construction Company employed 200 men to repair and reconstruct the tracks of the Boston & Albany Railroad.
Mill owners made attempts to rebuild their facilities, but it seems that their plans fell through. The mills and businesses of surrounding towns employed some of Becket’s displaced workers, and these workers eventually began to move closer to their new jobs. In one ruinous day Becket’s half-century of industrial prosperity and self-sufficiency had come to an abrupt end. It would be many years before the town emerged as the quiet farming village and local hub for natives, telecommuters, summer campers, artists, craftsmen, and vacationers that it is today.
Sources: Historic Flood November 1927, National Weather Service Bulletin of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association; H. B. Kinnison, The New England Flood of November, 1927, Water Supply Paper 636-C, U.S. Government Publications Warehouse; Contemporary newspapers including The Boston Globe, The Berkshire Eagle, and The North Adams Transcript. All online.
