Paducah 1937 Flood
While the river has usually been Paducah's best friend, flood waters turned it into the community's enemy in 1884, 1913, and again 1937. The area's most devastating event of the twentieth century was the flood of 1937 when 90% of Paducah was covered with flood waters. Over 27,000 residents were evacuated. After six weeks of rain in the Ohio River Valley, the river crested at 60.8 feet, nearly 11 feet above the elevation of this present sidewalk. National Geographic featured a photo of a cow on the second story porch of a Lower Town neighborhood home. following the flood, a 12.5 mile flood wall was erected to protect the city. (From flood photographs)
Marker is at the intersection of North Water Street and Jeffferson Street, on the right when traveling north on North Water Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
