The Great Connecticut River Flood with Josh Shanley

This illustrated talk uses the Great Connecticut River Flood of 1936 as historical context to explore how communities along the river have tried to understand, manage, and live with flooding over time. Beginning with early interventions such as the South Hadley Canal, the creation of the Oxbow in 1841, and the construction of the Holyoke Dam in 1850, the presentation follows how these efforts shaped later responses to major floods, including 1927 and 1936. The talk then brings the story forward to more recent events, including the partial collapse of the Hadley levee in 2009 and the failure of flood protection infrastructure in Northampton during a storm in 2023. Rather than focusing on disaster alone, the presentation emphasizes how assumptions built into flood-control systems continue to influence present-day risk and planning. As the 90th anniversary of the 1936 flood approaches, the program invites a thoughtful, place-based conversation about what history can tell us as communities reassess the river and the infrastructure built around it. About the presenter: Josh Shanley is a retired firefighter-paramedic with Northampton Fire Rescue and formerly served as the City of Northampton’s Emergency Management Director. He is now a historian, author, and educator whose work focuses on disasters, infrastructure, and emergency planning in Massachusetts. He is the author of The Connecticut River Valley Flood of 1936, Northampton Fires and Firefighting, and Cold War Massachusetts. Josh currently works with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, and his research combines archival sources with fieldwork and public history. He regularly presents for libraries, historical societies, colleges, and community organizations across the region. -- More details on our website: https://forbeslibrary.libcal.com/even...