Chimney Rock
Jun 27, 2016
The joyous opening of Chimney Rock State Park July 4, 1916, soon was dimmed by the tragic flood of 1916. Just days after the park dedication, two hurricanes converged July 16 over western North Carolina, causing historic flooding. A traveling exhibit, "So Great the Devastation: The 1916 Flood," recalls the catastrophe and will remain at Chimney Rock State Park through July 25.
Not only was the first bridge to Chimney Rock washed out, but landslides wiped out families and homes, babies were torn from mothers' arms, and at least 50 people died. Rainwater washed away thousands of jobs as rivers flooded. Damages totaled millions of dollars and a thick, black sludge remained where crops once stood. Chimney Rock and the region endured months of hardship.
The exhibit consists of four interpretive panels and is located in the Old Rock Cafe near the park entrance. It will be moved to be part of Chimney Rock State Park's Centennial Celebration and will be in the park July 4. The exhibit was created by the N.C. Office of Archives and History in commemoration of the centennial of the tragic flood.
"So Great the Devastation" will travel throughout the region through March 2017. There are two sets of panels that can be seen at the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College July 16, Transylvania County Public Library July 26 through late September, Belmont Historical Society July 17-Aug. 31 and Lincoln County Historical Association Sept. 1-30. The exhibit will return to Chimney Rock in November.
The North Carolina State Parks will have centennial observances throughout the year. For additional information visit online http://www.ncparks.gov/100/celebrate-our-centennial.
For additional information on the exhibit and celebration at Chimney Rock State Park, please call (828) 625-9611, x *810.
Chimney Rock State Park and the Office of Archives and History are within the Division of Archives, History and Parks of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.