In the early 1900s Austin Pennsylvania was rich with lumber. The hills were unsettled and filled with hemlock, pine and cherry. It was the time that paper mills were coming about and in 1900 plans to construct the Bayless Paper factory were put into place.
The mill brought the town to life, many families moved to the community for work.
In order for the company to flourish they needed a more stable water supply and by 1909 plans were set for a dam to be built all the way across the Freeman Run valley. The T. Chalkey Hatton firm was hired to construct a massive dam 50 feet high by 540
feet long. It was designed to be built 30 feet thick but was actually built only 20 feet thick. The dam cost $86,000.
Within a few months the dam was bowing and structural repairs were made in January of 1910.In September of 1911 the mill allowed the dam reserves to fill to maximum capacity with all the extra rainfall. On September 30 the dam gave way and waters washed through the town of Austin all the way to Costello. With the waters washed all the logs and stacks of lumber which then crashed into the business and homes of the entire town. 78 people died in the accident, some people were never found. With half of the town wiped away the town was never able to be fully built back. Some of the remaining
buildings are still hiding in the acreage near the broken dam. Who knows what lies beneath the rubble.
For more pictures of this you can check out my blog spot http://wendytheexplorer.blogspot.com
The mill brought the town to life, many families moved to the community for work.
In order for the company to flourish they needed a more stable water supply and by 1909 plans were set for a dam to be built all the way across the Freeman Run valley. The T. Chalkey Hatton firm was hired to construct a massive dam 50 feet high by 540
feet long. It was designed to be built 30 feet thick but was actually built only 20 feet thick. The dam cost $86,000.
Within a few months the dam was bowing and structural repairs were made in January of 1910.In September of 1911 the mill allowed the dam reserves to fill to maximum capacity with all the extra rainfall. On September 30 the dam gave way and waters washed through the town of Austin all the way to Costello. With the waters washed all the logs and stacks of lumber which then crashed into the business and homes of the entire town. 78 people died in the accident, some people were never found. With half of the town wiped away the town was never able to be fully built back. Some of the remaining
buildings are still hiding in the acreage near the broken dam. Who knows what lies beneath the rubble.
For more pictures of this you can check out my blog spot http://wendytheexplorer.blogspot.com
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