Proctor VT 1927 Flood Railroad Damage Vermont Disaster - RPPC Photo Postcard

USD 40.00

Condition: Not specified

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View Proctor VT 1927 Flood Railroad Damage Vermont Disaster - RPPC Photo Postcard with current marketplace pricing, condition, product images and item details. The Vermont Flood of November 3-4, 1927 remains the deadliest natural disaster in Vermont history. The Otter Creek valley, which runs through Proctor, was severely impacted. Statewide, 84 people died, hundreds of bridges were destroyed, and rail lines were severed across the entire state. A 5.5x3.5" vintage RPPC photo postcard (NOT a modern reprint) from the estate of a vintage postcard collector. This was part of a huge collection of antique postcards. * We always automatically combine orders for shipping, so add as many postcards as you’d like to your order! Photo Overview This striking real photo postcard captures the devastating aftermath of the Great Vermont Flood of November 1927 in Proctor, Vermont. Taken from an elevated vantage point, the image shows the town's railroad corridor buried under massive piles of flood debris - rocks, broken timbers, and displaced rubble - with damaged and tilted outbuildings scattered along the track alignment. Railroad cars and utility poles stand amid the destruction, while the town's buildings stretch into the hazy distance. Proctor was a marble quarrying town in Rutland County, and this image likely documents damage near the Central Vermont Railway line that ran through the Otter Creek valley. The scale of the destruction visible here is remarkable, with entire building foundations undermined and the rail corridor completely overwhelmed by flood debris. Historical Notes The Vermont Flood of November 3-4, 1927 remains the deadliest natural disaster in Vermont history. Triggered by a slow-moving storm that dropped several inches of rain on already-saturated ground, rivers across the state rose catastrophically. The Otter Creek valley, which runs through Proctor, was severely impacted. Statewide, 84 people died, hundreds of bridges were destroyed, and rail lines were severed across the entire state. Proctor, home to the Vermont Marble Company - the largest marble producer in the world at the time - faced significant infrastructure damage. The Central Vermont Railway required months of repair work before normal operations could resume. Vermont's recovery from the 1927 flood spurred major investment in flood control infrastructure and reshaped state emergency management for decades. The disaster also had a political dimension: President Calvin Coolidge, himself a Vermonter, oversaw federal relief efforts. Print analysis This is a Real Photo Postcard (RPPC) produced on photographic paper, as confirmed by the continuous-tone silver gelatin image with no halftone dot pattern. The undivided-style back with simple 'POST CARD' heading and the photographic format are consistent with a card produced in the late 1920s, contemporary with the 1927 flood event. This is a Type 1 original photographic postcard, printed very close to or at the time of the event depicted. Condition All postcards we sell are in fair to excellent vintage condition. Category: Collectibles › Postcards & Supplies › Postcards › Topographical Postcards.