When the 1927 flood hit, devastating damage occurred on Vermont farms, primarily losses of livestock and barns. And yet the same spirit of cooperation evident after Irene was very present back then, as illustrated by the flyer at right, which could have been written today.
“The extent of the damage suffered by the dairying interests of our state will never be known. Many Vermont homes were washed away, or rendered useless as homes. Some lost barns and many head of valuable stock, while acres of our finest meadow lands were either completely washed away or buried by sand, gravel or debris, so they can never be cultivated again. Truly our farming interests lost heavily…
“And in fact we may truly say that every farm in the state felt a share of the great loss, because it was, for a time, at least, impossible to sell or ship farm products, and when it finally became possible to transport milk, cream and other products, the expense was greater, and in many instances, too great to permit of even a small profit.
“We have borne the burden bravely, in true Vermont spirit, and we are gathered here today to look forward again into the future, to consider what our losses have brotught home to us, and just how our future as a state is to be affected.”
—From the report of the 58th annual meeting of the
Vermont Dairymen’s Association, January 1929.
Below: cleaning up in Jonesville, 1927
