How great a resolution it was, and how much courage it took to carry it through, was again manifested in the disastrous flood that came to Gowanda the following year.

It started on July 2 3, 1857 in a shower that rapidly became a cloudburst. Thatcher Brook was soon overflowing its banks, the angry torrent sweeping every obstruction before it. Fences, water-gates, logs, trees, buildings and bridges began to pass with promiscuous confusion.

The water made a clean sweep from the bridge on Jamestown Street down stream, overflowing this street and filling it with all kinds of rubbish down to Walnut Street which was overflowed its entire length, as also were the gardens and lots on both sides below Church Street (Chapel Street), breaking up sidewalks and filling the cellars with water and mud. Hill's mill-dam and the bridge on Church Street were swept away, with much of the road.

The current of the stream destroyed Mr. Joli's barn and cut through Mr. Lawton's garden forming a new channel and demolishing his barn and part of his house. Mr. Roller's slaughter-house was destroyed, being carried down stream and scattered over the Flats.

The bridge at the head of West Main Street was swept away with the side--walk bridge, which cut off all communication with the east side of the stream.

This destructive calamity added to the great fire of the previous year, fell with great severity upon the community, causing damage in excess of $20,000.

Thus the little town of Gowanda, struggling to emerge from its early pioneer days, had to face the challenges of destruction by both fire and flood that came little more than a year apart. That it did so, successfully and permanently, is well evidenced in the Gowanda of today.

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By 1860 the village had surmounted most of the trials and difficulties caused by the great fire and flood. It was a community of a thousand people and reasonably organized in stores, hotels and basic industries such as tanning, flour milling, lumbering and wool weaving .

It was a time of mounting civic and cultural interests. Saturday evening, January 4th, 1860, there was a meeting at the school-house that rcsulted in the formation of the Gowanda "Lyceum" which was destined to become a famous debating society for many years. Hon. Levi Strope Was the first president. Well known members of the ''Lyceum'' included: Judge

Woodbury, Rev. Dr. Lord, C. C. Torrance, Elisha Henry, A. C. Tefft, Samuel and William Stuart, Col. Hickox, D. W. Huntley, Alonzo Olcutt, Charles Benton, Leonard Allison and many others.

The law partnership of County Judge Woodbury and Henry F. Allen was formed that year. In August, 1862, fire destroyed the tannery of Weiser and Gaensslen at a loss of $9,000. Plans were immediately made for its rebuilding.

But the shadows of war were reaching the village, especially so in the Spring of 1861. The Gowanda newspaper — then known as "The New Yorker''—devoted 7 columns to the

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war situation in its April 19th issue, for Fort Sumter had been fired on. Col. T. J. Parker's regiment was accepted by the war department on August 23d and Surgeon G. W. Barr opened . a recruiting office in Barker's block.

Company A of the 64th Regiment, New York Volunteers, was recruited here and was known as the "Gowanda Company" throughout the conflict. There were 115 men in the company when it ''marched away'' on September 14, 1861. That is a day which is still well remembered in Gowanda. The ladies of the village had sewed a beautiful American Flag to be given to the company before departure. The flag was made at sewing ''meetings'' held in the ballroom of the Barker House, Main and Water Streets. The presentation was made to Company A by Miss Hattie Davis.

This flag is now on display in a plate glass case in the trustees room of the Gowanda Municipal Building. It was carried at the battle of Gettysburg and the marks of bullet holes and blood stains are still discernible. In 1937 it was decided tl1at it should be presented to the village but before this could be done it had to be carefully restored. This was expertly

accomplished under the direction of Mrs. Clara Davis Kirby.

Rufus Washburne was the Captain of Company A when it left for the war. On the day the company departed, marching to Dayton where it entrained for the assembly of the regiment at Elmira, the soldiers were accompanied by a great assemblage of the townspeople on horseback., in wagons or on foot who followed them over the old dirt road to the Dayton depot.

In addition to the men in Company A of the 64th, many Gowandians entered the 154,th, 72nd, 100th, 97th, 116th and other units as the war progressed. The first Gowanda man to be killed was Frank Sisson of the 72nd, who died in the battle of Williamsburg, Va., in May, 1862. Company A's first engagement was the battle of Fair Oaks, Va. He was buried in the old cemetery on Maltbie Heights.

Early in the battle General Howard was severely wounded and Colonel Parker commanded the brigade. Company A had 24 men killed or wounded in this, their first major engagement. Company A fought through the entire war. The last man of the com1nand to be

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