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Seymour Falls
The Flood of 1955, Seymour was hit hard but especially in the area of Broad Street, Pine Street and Derby Avenue - the area that you are now surrounded by. The Naugatuck River flowed gently over the natural Falls and in a narrow path wound its way toward Ansonia. A narrow iron and steel girder bridge with arched superstructure spanned the water. The land, extending much further into what is today water, held large neighborhood homes with what would be considered "mom and pop" businesses, a historic stagecoach stop, then a restaurant, called the Dutch Door Inn.
At the end of the bridge stood the large wood framed W.L. Ward Funeral home. In front of Seymour's Middle School, which was in 1955 the town's high school, where the parking lot and ball field are today were numerous homes. Next to the Congregational Church was Seymour's large brick modern library that had been built in 1916 and housed all Seymour's library books and also all of Seymour's early historical material, artifacts and documents.
On "Black Friday", as Friday, August 19, 1955 was called, this area changed forever with many of the aforementioned buildings being lost to the flood. Today, as you can see the area has recovered. The falls, at times becoming angry and noisy but now always under control has a wider bed to flow her waters into -even a canoe launch area for those who want to experience her banks for a short distance, the Broad Street Park now lies on her upper bank. Here is a place to sit and enjoy the river and the falls,