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Great September Gale of 1869: New England's Forgotten Major Hurricane

The year 1954 will live forever in infamy when it comes to the weather in New England. That year saw a category 2 and category 3 hurricane make landfall in New England less than two weeks apart. Many would say 1954 was the worst hurricane season in New England's history. With that said, another hurricane season also featured a "double whammy" for New England. The year was 1869. This year brought New England one of the region's five recorded major hurricane landfalls (1635, 1815, 1938 and, of course, 1954 being the other 4).


A hurricane was reported off the coast of Florida, near the Bahamas, on September 7th. The hurricane moved north-northeast, staying well off the east coast. The hurricane strengthened further and made landfall in Rhode Island late on September 8th as a category three storm with winds of 115 mph. This hurricane was very small in size, with the strongest winds concentrated near the center and to the east of the storm.


A print of a ship battling the storm. This image was published in Salem, MA in 1869. Photo from the Library of Congress

Connecticut cities reported heavy rain but no major wind damage. New London, on the eastern Connecticut coast, reported damage, but it was not nearly as severe as what Rhode Island experienced. According to the New Haven Journal and Courier:


“Leaving New Haven Thursday morning, the first thing observed while passing on the Shore Line railroad to New London was the corn fields showed signs of a violent storm, and the farther I went east, the stronger the wind had seemingly. At New London, considerable damage had been done, but not until I neared Providence, R. I., did I comprehend the gale had been so powerful…”


The above report provided a glimpse of some of the devastation in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. As one would expect from a category three storm, extensive damage was reported in many villages, with Narragansett Bay serving as the epicenter. Even in Westerly, Rhode Island reported "the storm of Wednesday, although severe, cannot have been as violent here as in Providence."



During storms, Narragansett Bay is prone to flooding. It has recorded major floods many times before this storm, as well as many times after it. As a category three storm, this could have been one of the worst ever, but the storm struck during low tide, which helped the situation. The storm surge in Providence was approximately eight feet. Bristol, Rhode Island, reported that the flood was not nearly as severe as it could have been.


“Had the wind held southeast two hours longer the damage by water would have been immense.”


Despite the fact that the area was spared a major storm surge disaster, the major hurricane caused massive wind damage in the area. Brown University's Alexis Caswell had this to say about the storm:


“...the violence of the storm was fearful, uprooting trees, prostrating fences and buildings, as if they were nothing and less than nothing before it. The extreme violence of the wind, I think, from 5 to 5:30…The violence soon abated, and every one felt a sense of relief. It is many years, I know not how many, since we have had a storm of equal violence; very probable not since the ‘Great Gale’ of September, 1815.”


As previously stated, southeastern Massachusetts bore as much of the brunt of the wind as Rhode Island. According to the Yarmouth Register:


“...of great severity, rivaling in violence and destructiveness, the great gale of September 1815.”


The Barnstable Patriot reported:


“...the storm will long be remembered as the great gale, and the injury it has caused will not be speedily repaired.”


Storm surge in Massachusetts' Buzzards Bay was far worse than in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay. The surge caused "enormous damage" to buildings, uprooted trees, and washed out railroad tracks. The wind was as strong in Bristol County as it was in 1815, but it did not last nearly as long due to the storm's compact size. The spire of Fairhaven's First Congregational Church collapsed.


Front page of the Vineyard Gazette detailing the storm. Photo from The Vineyard Gazette


Further north, hurricane-force winds held steady as the storm passed just west of Boston. Significant structural damage had been reported throughout the greater Boston area. The Boston Coliseum (also known as the Temple of Peace) was built as a temporary structure to house the National Peace Jubilee. This structure was scheduled for demolition in November, but it was partially destroyed during the storm. Gables were destroyed, as was the roof, and the central organ was destroyed. The storm destroyed numerous churches and other structures.


Because the storm was moving quickly, intense conditions continued north of Boston and into New Hampshire. The storm maintained its intensity as it moved through Maine on its way to Canada as a tropical storm. According to the Salem Register:


“...for severity at its height, although shorter in duration, its destructiveness was probably greater than in 1815.” 


Several vessels on the north shore were dragged ashore after breaking free. Several boat crews were saved during storm rescues. Storm damage in northern New England was limited to the region's coastal areas. Areas to the west of the storm, well inland, reported little damage and an 'ordinary storm of wind and rain'. However, heavy damage was reported in areas to the east of the storm in Maine.


Severe structural damage was reported in Portland, Maine. As the hurricane weakened, other parts of Maine reported significant tree damage but no structural damage. The storm was "almost a hurricane" in Gardiner, Maine, northeast of Portland, as tree damage continued. During the storm, at least thirty ships sank along Maine's rocky coast. After lashing New England for a night, the system moved into Canada, still at tropical storm strength.


This storm may be New England's forgotten storm as it was overshadowed about a month later by the infamous "Saxby Gale", a likely category two hurricane that made landfall in Massachusetts and Maine. This storm's legacy lives on over 150 years later due to the interesting story surrounding the storm. When searching for the Great September Gale of 1869, you'll find much more information on the Great September Gale of 1815 rather than this one.


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