Flood of Memories

 How most of Smicksburg suddenly Disappeared

The luck of the Irish was not on Pittsburgh's side on St. Patrick's Day in 1936.

According to the Rev. Timothy A. Spence's book "In the Valley of the Fair Mahoning," melting snow had produced flood conditions on the tributaries of the Allegheny River, causing riverbanks to overflow. While only minor flooding occurred in Smicksburg, Pittsburgh bore the brunt of the water's fury.

After the cleanup, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, wanting to prevent another disastrous flood in Pittsburgh, created the Flood Control Acts of 1936 and 1938.

The acts led to the creation of 16 flood-control projects, including the Mahoning Creek Dam.

But while protecting the Pittsburgh area, the Mahoning dam, covering 2,967 acres and costing $6 million to construct, seriously affected the Smicksburg area, placing most of the town in the dam's flood plain. The area would not continuously be under water, just during periods of heavy rainfall, when water restrained by the dam would back up the Mahoning Valley and reach the buildings at the edge of Smicksburg. But precautions needed to be taken.

According to an October 1941 article in the Indiana Evening Gazette, that is when the Federal Flood Control Commission stepped in, paying residents 2½ to three times the assessed value of their property in some cases, to purchase the affected land in northern Smicksburg. The buildings were then moved or destroyed.

In total, 22 pieces of property, including the Smicksburg School, Odd Fellows Hall, the grist mill, the Smicksburg Co-operative Creamery, the Lutheran Church, the Smicksburg Cemetery and various homes, were moved or razed. According to Spence's book, the railroad stop at Goodville Picnic Grounds, the business district on Clarion Street and residential and cultural sections on Church Street were also abandoned.

Only 65 percent of the town's population remained.

According to the Gazette article, residents who considered moving to the remaining portion of Smicksburg were greeted with another problem - the state highway department, which was considering cutting a new road through the south side of town.

While some residents remained in Smicksburg, most, not wanting to get into another battle with the government, looked to take residence elsewhere, moving to Plumville, Punxsutawney, Dayton, Georgeville or Trade City.