Congratulations Curt!

Congratulations to Curt Ellison, director at the Michael J. Colligan History Project, for his well-deserved proclamation from Hamilton Mayor Pat Moeller, which was awarded during a recent City Council meeting.

The citation recognizes Curt’s outstanding work in coordinating the Centennial Commemoration of the Great Miami Flood of 1913; efforts culminating in more than 20 lectures, exhibits, tours, documentaries and other events attended by more than 2,000 people this spring!

(Click image to enlarge).

Matthew Smith,

Assistant Director, Colligan History Project

Flood of 1913: Centennial Commemoration Gallery

Folks: thanks once again to everyone for making this spring and the Centennial of the 1913 Hamilton Flood a memorable success!  The organizers, volunteers, and participants who took part are a tribute to this community’s spirit, and the Michael J. Colligan History Project was honored to share in the historical commemoration.Although the events program is over, the centennial itself is worthy of remembering. To that end, Hamiltonian Jack Armstrong (a notable Flood Commemoration volunteer) captured a magnificent gallery of the 2013 Centennial Commemoration, which we are now proud to add as a permanent feature of our 1913 Flood webpage. All photographs were taken this spring from March 12 through May 4, and can be viewed by clicking on the link below:Flood of 1913: Centennial Commemoration Gallery

5/4/2013: Community Festival, RiversEdge Park & Amphitheater: (l-r) Charlotte Smith; Matthew Smith (Colligan Project); Steve Haid; Ladonna Hoskins (Colligan Project); Howard Epstein; Curt Ellison (Colligan Project); Celia Ellison.

Looking to the future, the Colligan Project and its community partners hope to build on the outstanding public participation, and invite your comments and suggestion on legacy projects to permanently commemorate the Flood Centennial. Please send your ideas by email, or feel free to post them on this website or on our Facebook page.

Coming soon: more on the Colligan Project’s Fall 2013 schedule of events.

Comments or suggestions? Please contact Curt Ellison at: ellisocw@miamioh.edu; tel. 513 785 3230, or Matthew Smith at: smithmd6@miamioh.edu; tel. 513 785 3175.

Have a wonderful summer!

A Look Back at the Flood of 1913 Centennial

Dear Folks,

Many thanks to all organizers, volunteers, and community participants who made Hamilton’s Flood of 1913 Centennial Commemoration a resounding success! Saturday’s Community Festival at RiversEdge Amphitheater was a fitting endnote. Thanks to all the fine musicians, dancers, rowers, vendors, & folks turning out in throngs to enjoy the May sunshine.

While we’d like to thank each and everyone involved in planning, producing, and presenting Hamilton’s Flood Centennial Commemoration, space constraints make it impossible to do so individually. Special thanks, however, belongs to Richard O. Jones of the Hamilton Journal-News for his outstanding newspaper coverage of the centennial (Rick is one of a select group of people in attendance at every commemoration event).

Click below for Rick’s archive of Flood Centennial coverage (23 articles in all!). 

Richard O. Jones, HJ-N articles

Coming soon:

• Hamilton Flood of 1913 Centennial Commemoration: Souvenir Gallery featuring photographs by Jack Armstrong
• News of scheduled programming and events for the Michael J. Colligan History Project, fall 2013

Stay posted folks, & enjoy the summer!

Matthew Smith

Assistant Director, Michael J. Colligan History Project

Community Festival: RiversEdge Amphitheater

Saturday May 4, 2013

RiversEdge Park & Amphitheater, 200 Riverfront Plaza, Hamilton, Ohio

Join us for a celebration of Hamilton’s Future as a river city!

This regatta and music festival marks the finale of Hamilton’s 1913 Flood Centennial Commemoration, & welcomes RiversEdge Amphitheater as a community resource.

***

Schedule of events:

At the Great Miami River

10am-4pm        Burgundy & Blue Regatta (Great Miami Rowing Center)

At RiversEdge Park & Amphitheater (emceed by Shaun Higgins)

1-2pm              The Cincinnati Brass (Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Orchestra)

2-3pm              After the Flood: Dance-Theater (Demetrius Klein Dance Company)

3.30-5.30pm    Stories and Songs of River Live (The Rabbit Hash String Band)

5.45-6pm         Ceremonial Remarks (Mayor Pat Moeller, City of Hamilton; Curt  Ellison, Flood Centennial Committee)

6-8pm              Rockin’ the River (Blue Sacrifice)

No admission charges. Refreshments available. Lawn chairs & blankets welcome. A family-friendly, alcohol-free event. ADA compliant. 

Parking is free at McDulin Parking Garage, 3rd & Market Streets.

Civic Leaders Forum: The 2013 Miami River & Our Future

Friday, May 3 @ 7pm

Miami Hamilton Downtown, 221 High St.

How can the Great Miami River, now protected by the Miami Conservancy District from devastating flooding, play an integral and positive role in our future? To close the 1913 Flood Commemoration, civic leaders will share their visions for the future of the Miami River Corridor. Moderated by Frances K. Mennone, Great Miami Rowing Center; featuring Mike Dingeldein, Community Design Alliance; John Granville, Butler County MetroParks; Stan Kegley, Ohio’s Great Corridor Association; Kimberly Munafo, YMCA; Joshua Smith, City of Hamilton.

Free, public event. Reception to follow.

The 1913 Flood: Shadow Over the Miami Valley (Documentary Premiere)

Friday, April 26, 7pm.
Heritage Hall Museum, 20 High St., Hamilton.

Join us for a free premiere screening of this documentary feature film, produced by renowned filmmaker and historian Sam Ashworth. His documentary features over 500 flood photos and film clips supplied by local historical societies, including first hand accounts of the flood. It promises to be a truly memorable presentation!

Video Archive Update

March’s Family Stories symposium attracted over 240 people to the Wilks Conference center, including those shown here! Photo courtesy of Jack Armstrong.

Folks: with so many 1913 Flood Centennial events in Hamilton this spring, it’s a challenge to attend every one! With this in mind, the Colligan Project’s online video page archives recordings of talks and events, so you can watch them for the first time or any time. Our latest addition is “The Dam Lie That Saved Lives: Hamilton Family Stories of the 1913 Flood,” recorded March 26 at the Wilks Conference Center. Featuring indefatigable local historian Jim Blount, this unique event also showcases a number of remarkable family flood stories retold by Hamiltonians of today.

Matthew Smith
Assistant Director, Michael J. Colligan History Project