Historical Marker of the Week: Great River Tragedy

by Josh


Great River Tragedy
Kentucky Historical Marker 0720

At midnight of Dec. 4, 1868 two cabined passenger steamers plying between Louisville and Cincinnati collided two miles above Warsaw. The America rammed deeply into the United States. Barrelled coal oil on deck of latter caught fire enveloping both boats in flames, spreading over surface of river. 162 lives, $350,000 property lost in terrible Ohio River holocaust.

There is no historical marker that I have seen more in my life than this one. I remember passing it every morning on my way to my elementary school. It is only one of three markers in Gallatin county and also, as far as I know, the biggest thing to ever occur in Kentucky's smallest county (98.81 square miles).


Tidbit: This is the longest continually in use courthouse in all of Kentucky.

So, here's the story. On the night of Dec. 4, 1868, a steamboat named America collided with its sister ship, the United States. They were on the Ohio River, between the banks of Indiana and two miles to the north of Warsaw, Kentucky, the seat of Gallatin County.

The United States burst into flames that spread to the America. Both ships are said to have been destroyed in less than five minutes. To help the destruction, each ship was essentially a powder keg with cargo such as brooms, cotton, whiskey and bacon. (Is it too soon to say this was probably the most delicious smelling riverboat disaster ever?)

The closest home to the wreck was a half mile away on the Indiana side. Mr. Rahl, who owned the home, tried to help those stranded as much as he could. Fortunately, another boat made its way to the collision a couple of hours later and ferried the survivors to Warsaw were the citizens there took it upon themselves to help as much as possible.

The most famous passenger was Ole Bull (a very interesting fellow). Ole Bull was a famous Norwegian violinist and composer. Before he escaped the America, he made sure he had his violin and only then swam to shore. Reading a few of the crazy tidbits about him I would not be surprised if he was playing the violin while floating on his back to shore.



Although the historical marker seems to indicate that 162 people died from the boats, other sources I have checked seem to show around 80 actually perished. I am not sure if the Historical Society has information I cannot find or perhaps there was a typo and it represents the total number of passengers on the ships.

If this were a book I was reading and not a real event, I would be upset at the obvious symbolism of a boat named the America crashing into a boat named the United States near Kentucky, a state caught in the middle between the The South and The North in a post-Civil War country.

Being that it is real, all I can say is "wow."

See? History is always more surprising than anything you can imagine.

A postcard of the United States, obviously pre-collision.

I Never Saw the Good Side of the City... Part II

by Callie

Just in case you haven't heard of the 1937 flood, here's a little history:

The first three months of any year are usually the most susceptible to floods. If the temperature warms to above freezing and there is any rain, the rain along with any melting snow or frost means that quite a bit of water rushes into the streams and rivers. A record amount of rain fell in the beginning of January 1937 (over 18 inches in some places) and the water rose quickly.

People all along rivers and streams experienced dangerous flooding in 1883, 1884, 1913, and a few in between. However, they had never seen the likes of this.


Bird’s eye view of riverfront during the 1937 flood, courtesy of UC's Community Design Center's Urban Database

Today in Cincinnati, the Ohio River has a depth of around 30 feet and is considered at flood stage when it reaches 52 feet. But in 1937, before many dams were built, the Ohio River was much shallower and not as wide as it is today. So it's pretty incredible to imagine the river reaching its official record of 79.99 feet on Jan. 26, 1937.

(I should mention that although the record states 79.99 feet, many have written that the water was actually well over 80 feet. It has been speculated, but not confirmed, that this is because insurance policies would not cover anything over 80 feet.)

Towns all along the Ohio River and its tributaries were completely under water. Homes were turned over on their sides or completely removed from their foundations and floated down river. If you're interested, the Kenton County Library has several images.


Although taken in 1964 and not 1937, this photo shows how dangerous living along the river can be.

Again, to provide some comparison, the only flood in my lifetime to even come close was the flood of 1997, in the record books at only 64.7 feet.


The Rabbit Hash General Store in the Flood of 1997. At its highest in '97, the water reached the bottom of the shutters. In 1937, the water went as far as the attic of the store.

The 1937 flood was considered a disaster and the story become front-page news all over the nation.


This is a still taken from this pretty incredible amateur documentary about the flood

The Red Cross was extremely helpful to those who were left homeless, but many people were so devastated by the flooding that they moved away from the places they had called home their entire lives.


This building was once a store in Rabbit Hash and the 1937 flood lifted it from its foundation and floated it up the hill behind it. It was then attached to another building and still stands today.

In Rabbit Hash, this particular flood took many of the town’s buildings and quite a large segment of the population moved out after their homes were destroyed. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that Rabbit Hash had the life breathed back into it.


To be continued.... again...