Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Ashland, named by its founders for Henry Clay's famous home in Lexington, Kentucky, was
hit hard by the 1937 flood, which crested at 73.8 feet. This photograph shows the flood
scene along Winchester Avenue, one of the major streets in the city's downtown. Old-time
residents said they could never remember a previous flood reaching so far into the down-
town.
This 1937 view of the flood in Ashland was taken from a downtown rooftop, perhaps that of
the now-demolished Ventura Hotel. The edge of the rooftop vantage point can be seen at the
left side of the photograph. That is the Ohio River in the distance. At its peak, the flood in-
undated most of the business district, industrial area, and residential sections of Ashland.
(Courtesy Charles R. Nichols.)
