By William “Skip” Deegans
This 1951 photo shows Ronceverte’s Cedar Street underwater. In the background is the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad depot, and on the right is the Post Office. The flood was a result of a June afternoon cloud burst in Fairlea that caused a torrent of water to flow down Montgomery Hollow. With four feet of water in Ronceverte’s business district, it caused an estimated $500,000 in damages and left 4-10 inches of mud. Mayor C. W. Shanklin called it the worst flood in Ronceverte since 1911. The mayor probably meant the July 6, 1911 flood that devastated Ronceverte. It was caused by a storm very similar to the one in 1951.
A north end stable floated from its foundation and crashed into a poultry warehouse that collapsed. A two-story building broke in two and floated down Frankford Street. Two other stables collapsed leaving horses to float or swim to higher ground. Buggies, traps and surreys floated away. The railroad tracks were covered with wreckage and water, and the telephone and electric lines were down. In both floods there were no reported fatalities.
Sources: Hinton Daily News, Register-Herald, Beckley Post-Herald.
