Celestine Evans Collection

Tarrant County Archives > Holdings > Named Collections > E > Evans, Celestine

Postcard showing a chicken sitting on a barrel in the flood

Postcard showing a chicken riding on wooden debris in the flood, 1922

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Celestine Evans donated nine sepia postcards showing images of the flood of 1922 in Fort Worth, Texas. On April 24, 1922, heavy rain lasting for two days caused widespread flooding near the West Fork and Clear Fork of the Trinity River. The downpour compromised 17 river levees. The flood killed at least ten people and damaged about $1 million worth of houses, businesses, railway lines, and roads. The catastrophic event resulted in the creation of the Tarrant County Water Improvement District No. 1 in 1924 to control future flooding.   

SCOPE AND CONTENTS    

The Celestine Evans Collection contains postcards showing images of the 1922 flood in Fort Worth. The images have been annotated at least twice by unknown persons identifying locations and objects. 

 

Postcards in this collection consist of the following:

  1. "Raging Torrent T and P West" by Bryant Studio. Water covering railroad bridge; written in ink on back: Fort Worth, Texas  Flood about 1923-1924, T and P  bridge - West Fort Worth
  2. "T and P West" by Bryant Studio. Flooded and up-ended tracks, utility lines almost under water, water tank in distance, houses on horizon; written in pencil on back: Fort Worth 1922.
  3. Houses under water, edge of trees, houses on bluff in background; written on back in pen: Somewhere east of Viaduct; in pencil: 1922. 
  4. "Arlington Heights Boulevard"  Streetcar tracks, lumber stacked or washed to side, many people on foot walking along tracks, some automobiles along street now known as Camp Bowie Boulevard. On back written in ink: Car line to Arlington Heights West of town after water had gone down. Seventh Street.  In pencil: Fort Worth 1922. Seventh Street went west from the Trinity River to a turning point at Burleson Avenue, now University Drive; the streetcar entered Arlington Heights Boulevard at this point (image shown)
  5. Postcard: North Main Paddock Viaduct Spring 1922 in ink Edge of bridge shows on far left of photo, scene is looking north, north east. Marked on photo are filling station, railroad tank cars under water, in distance, Swift and Company Packing house; on back written in ink: to the right of Paddock Viaduct  North Fort Worth. Swifts and Gasoline Filling Station and tank cars - April 1922
  6. Houses flooded, utility lines and poles under water; on back in ink: Street Scene. Fort Worth 1922
  7. North Main Street Bryant Studios. Fort Worth Marble and Granite Company Building and Panther Park before it was moved to east of N. Main about 1927; written in ink on back: taken from north end of Viaduct. Water about ten (10) feet deep on street
  8. Lake Worth, Fort Worth, Texas Beach Studio. Written in black ink on back: Lake Worth Spillway; written on back in pencil: 1922 Flood
  9. "A Lonesome Chicken" riding on wooden debris in flood waters under power lines - written in ink on back: Left of Viaduct near power plant on West. Written in pencil: 1922

 

 

Damage on Arlington Heights Boulevard after the flood in 1922

Postcard of a street scene showing the flood damage on Arlington Heights Boulevard, 1922