By Kate Tobiasson
History Columnist
WESTBOROUGH – Centuries ago, gracious trees lined the streets of downtown Westborough, adding color, foliage, and character to the elegantly spaced houses. As the Industrial Revolution swept through town, buildings were erected, trolley and train lines began to encroach on horse-drawn buggies, and a number of fires destroyed the once idyllic views. Still, it wasn’t the efforts of civilization that felled the trees, but rather a series of natural disasters.
In 1922, the “Knickerbocker Storm” was nothing short of epic in its path of destruction. Twice the size of typical storm fronts of the era, the mid-winter storm coated nearly 22,400 miles of the country in two feet of snow. The Nor’easter was trailed by frigid air, and New Englanders were left with a thick sheet of ice atop the recently fallen snow.
Without modern forecasting or machinery, a storm of this proportions was paralyzing. Mature, tall trees couldn’t bear the weight of the snow and ice; they collapsed atop buildings, powerlines, roads, and railways. Access to towns was cut off, and help was slow to arrive for those in need. In Washington DC, the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre collapsed, killing 98 people; it also left its mark on the historic trees and infrastructure in Westborough.
The next storm to leave its mark on the trees of Westborough was the Hurricane of September 1938. Described in the aftermath of the storm in The Chronotype newspaper, local journalists reported, “A hurricane of furious proportions… The steeple of the Congregational Church fell upon the ridge pole, crushing the roof of the auditorium. The steeple of the Baptist Church crashed into west Main Street and a large portion of the front of the church down as far as the doors was spread across the street as far as Memorial Cemetery, where the iron fence was broken by the impact… Hundreds of trees were uprooted and filled the streets making it impossible for vehicles to pass. All wires were down and there was no electric light, telephone, fire alarm, or power service. The town was in complete darkness except for candlelight. Radios were also silent, and there was no sound except for the roar of the 110 mph gale of wind and the crashing of falling trees, slamming of blinds, and noise of falling debris.”
All told, the 1938 New England hurricane stole the lives of 682 people and damaged or destroyed more than 57,000 homes. A Category-3 hurricane through landfall, this hurricane would be grouped at landfall at the same strength as Hurricane Katrina (2005), and stronger than both Hurricane Sandy (2012) or Hurricane Bob (1991) when they made landfall.
The 1938 New England Hurricane had its deepest impact on the forest and trees of the region.
Yale and Harvard owned large forests in New England, and both were wiped out by the hurricane. In total, nearly 35 percent of New England’s total forest area was affected by this single storm, with 2.7 billion board feet of trees falling to the ground.
Thousands of trees in Westborough were felled by the single storm; Lyman School reported over 400 trees on their property destroyed. Downtown, trees had crashed onto houses; windows and storefronts were blown in by the gusts of wind.
The beautiful trees lining Main Street in Westborough were no match for the saturated grounds and fierce winds. Nearly all of the proud, tall trees lining Westborough’s downtown were lost once and for all.
While a few saplings mix with established trees lining the roads in the center of Westborough today, they pale in comparison to the once stately trees that stretched along the roadside.
These storms of the early twentieth century are a reminder of the tremendous power and fierce nature of life in New England. While life here can be beautiful and idyllic, Mother Nature is not one to be trifled with.