The Great Virginia Flood of 1870

In the fall of 1870 a massive flood engulfed parts of Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. What began near Charlottesville as welcome rain at the end of a drought—plagued summer quickly tuned into a downpour as it moved west and then north through the Shenandoah Valley. The James, Shenandoah and Potomac rivers rose and flooding washed out fields, farms and entire towns. The impact was immense in terms of destru...