{"id":1860,"date":"2018-08-28T22:42:11","date_gmt":"2018-08-29T02:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/?page_id=1860"},"modified":"2026-08-01T19:38:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T23:38:54","slug":"the-flood-of-1902","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/index.php\/the-flood-of-1902\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Flood of 1902"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Great Flood of 1902<\/strong> was one of the worst natural disasters in the history of Paterson, New Jersey. Coming less than three weeks after the devastating Great Fire of February 1902<\/strong>, the flood dealt another crippling blow to a city that was already struggling to recover. Torrential rains, melting snow, and swollen tributaries caused the Passaic River to overflow, inundating homes, factories, and businesses throughout Paterson and the surrounding valley. Contemporary observers described it as the worst flood ever experienced in the Passaic River basin.<\/p>\n

A Perfect Storm<\/h2>\n

In late February 1902, northern New Jersey experienced heavy rainfall combined with an unusually warm spell that rapidly melted deep snow accumulated throughout the Passaic River watershed. The situation worsened when a dam on the Whippany River<\/strong> failed, sending additional floodwaters downstream into the Passaic River.<\/p>\n

On Friday, February 28<\/strong>, the river began rising rapidly. By Saturday evening, low-lying streets were underwater, and by Sunday, March 2<\/strong>, the Passaic River had reached its highest level ever recorded to that date, surpassing all previous flood records.<\/p>\n

Paterson Under Water<\/h2>\n

The flooding was concentrated in the low-lying districts along the Passaic River, where many of Paterson’s industries depended on water power from the Great Falls and raceway system.<\/p>\n

Among the hardest-hit areas were:<\/p>\n