HINDMAN, Ky. — When the Troublesome Creek rose several feet above its banks late last month, it left behind one of the worst flooding disasters to affect Eastern Kentucky in decades. In Knott County, countless homes and buildings suffered damage, including the historic Hindman Settlement School.
What You Need To Know
- The Hindman Settlement School suffered extensive damage in July’s devastating flash flooding
- Its archive of Appalachian history took on several feet of water
- Work to preserve as much of the works as possible is underway
- At least 300 books are completely lost
Founded in the early 1900s, the settlement school serves as an educational hub for Appalachia. A handful of its buildings took on several feet of water, causing extensive damage, including to the school’s archive of historical books, photographs and artifacts with cultural significance to the region.
Melissa Helton, the school’s community program director, recalls the night the flooding happened. There were members of the Appalachian Writers’ Workshop staying on the campus and she said they did not immediately see the flood warnings.
Thankfully, everyone could get to safety. Settlement School staff tried to save what computers they could from their executive office as the water rose.
“The doors and all the broken glass from these windows went flying inward and they were chest deep in the water, and luckily they got out,” Helton said.
Many of the works were damaged by the flood. Helton believes at least 300 books are a total loss.
“After we cared for the immediately muddy and wet things as much as we could, our work the past couple days have been things that weren’t directly wet but they were in that humid condition for a week,” Helton said.
Much of their collection has been placed in freezers both on site and at other locations. Helton said keeping books and photos frozen puts a pause on mold damage, allowing an archivist to come in at a later date to salvage what they can.
In the days following the floods, there has been an out-pour of support from people wanting to help with cleanup and restoration efforts. That support is exemplified best by volunteer Beth Reynolds, who drove from St Petersburg, Florida to help.
“These kinds of things have to be preserved and saved and it’s an honor to come up and help, (it) the least I can do, I didn’t lose a house or family,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds has been involved with the school for years working with their dyslexia program. She says she was heartbroken when she heard of what happened in eastern Kentucky.
On the day Reynolds arrived, she went into one of the flooded homes to salvage anything that survived. In what can only be described as an unbelievable coincidence, a lone photograph of this bridge that crosses the Troublesome Creek was all that was left—a photo taken over 20 years ago by Beth Reynolds.
“I saw people cleaning out the house, they just had big shovels, and they were just shoveling stuff out and I walked in and I went, that’s my photograph, and I just started crying, I just started bawling like a baby,” Reynolds said.
Both the photograph and the iconic bridge survived one of the worst floods this part of the state has ever seen.
“It’s just a sign of the strength of the bridge, the strength of the people of Hindman, the strength of the Settlement School, and how they have persevered,” Reynolds said.
While staff at the Settlement School are focused on preservation efforts, it’s far from the only thing on their schedule. Classes for educators are still being held on campus as areas of the state not affected by flooding prepare for the school year.
The campus is also a hub for relief efforts, providing free meals and supplies daily. Some displaced people are also being housed there.
“So we are trying to be that place where people can come in, get the services and materials that they need while they are starting their recovery and we are also trying to do the same for ourselves including the archive,” Helton said.
Despite the terrible loss faced by communities in eastern Kentucky, what has surfaced is an outpouring of support for one another. In the days and weeks after the floods, there has been an endless stream of people asking: How can I help?