Flood of 1937

DID YOU KNOW…

 

The devastating flood of 1937 changed Louisville and its residents forever.  The “River City” was engulfed by the Ohio River as a result of 15” of rain in a 12-day period in January of that year.   The river crested 30.44 feet above flood stage, a record that still stands today.  Seventy percent of Louisville was submerged and the Ohio River was 24 miles wide in some places forcing evacuation of over 175,000 people.

During the flood, Vogt had the only electrical generator in the city that was above the flood waters that could operate.  It supplied emergency electrical power to critical operations in the Louisville area.  These included Saints Mary and Elizabeth Hospital, two local bakeries, and the infamous Waverly Hills Sanitarium.  Thanks to Vogt, the crisis was made a little more bearable to those in the Louisville and surrounding areas.

L.D. Schlegel views water surrounding the entrance of the plant.
Photo taken by Henry Vogt Heuser