The Fort Worth Flood of 1949: A city underwater

A shocking scene unfolds

Picking up the pieces

Lessons learned

Lloyd Patton Motors, 2733 W. Seventh St. May 18, 1949. The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries, Special Collections.

Floodwaters approach the front of the 7th Street Theatre. Fort Worth History Center Archives.

Aerial of 1949 flood, looking north from Farrington Field high school football stadium toward West Lancaster Avenue, West Seventh Street and Montgomery Ward. May 19, 1949. The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries, Special Collections.

Flood waters deposited a house on top of an old trolley. Fort Worth History Center Archives.

Mother and daughter standing beside flood-destroyed home. The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries, Special Collections.

West Seventh Street under water. The Montgomery Ward building in the upper center received extensive damage. Downtown Fort Worth can be seen in the distance. The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries, Special Collections.

Neighborhood of homes under water. The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries, Special Collections.

Westward aerial view of a flooded Forest Park (bottom half of photo) near the South University Drive crossing of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River. The site of present-day University Park Village, along with Rogers Road and Collinsworth Street, is in the center right. The serpentine river channel in this section of Fort Worth was straightened during the late 1960s. The present-day site of the Log Cabin Village is in the center left. The Texas and Pacific Railyard is in the top right corner. May 17, 1949. Fort Worth History Center Archives.

Packard car dealership at 1204 W. Seventh St. The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries, Special Collections.

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