M. Archie Lancore - Northampton, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 20.223 W 072° 39.216
18T E 693299 N 4689866
The grave of M. Archie Lancore, who drowned in flood resulting from the Mill River Dam Disaster, is located in St. Mary's Cemetery in Northampton, MA.
Waymark Code: WMWDA9
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 08/18/2017
Views: 1
M. Archie Lancour was a Canada born wool mill worker living in Williamsburg, MA. He drowned in the Mill River flood while trying to reach his mother.
The grave of M. Archie Lncour is marked by a 5' high white gravestone with a rounded top. The gravestone is inscribed:
M. ARCHIE LANCORE,
Born Canada
Sept 29 1852
Died May 16 1874
Aged 21 yrs 7 mos 15 d's
Drowned in the Mill River
disaster, while attempting to
reach the home of his mother
to secure her.
---
{unintelligible verse}
In 1865 The Hampshire Reservoir Company build a dam three miles north of Williamsburg, MA on the east branch of the Mill River. The dam was built for corporate mill owners for the sum of $35,000. It was 42 feet above the bed of the stream, holding back 90 acres of water with an average depth of 24 feet.
On May 16, 1874, the dam collapsed. It was determined at an inquest that poor supervision and faulty workmanship of the contractor, caused the dam to give way. Water swept down through Williamsburg and the downstream villages of Haydenville, Skinnerville, and Leeds. The disaster cost included: 144 lives lost, 750 people were made homeless, and damage to buildings, personal property, bridges, dams, roads, factories, and mills amounted to over one million dollars. One third Williamsburg was devastated in the largest disaster in New England of its time.
Visit Instructions:When posting a visit to an unusual grave, please include the minimum of one picture of your visit as proof that you were there in the flesh.
Although not required, please include your personal experience of this location.