The Valley That Disappeared
Tomhannock Restoration Project: While there are no known images of the Tomhannock Flats actually flooding, or before and after images, this is an imagined before and after comparison. If you’ve visited the Reservoir, this view is very familiar. Now you can imagine what’s under the water.
Sawmill near Tomhannock Reservoir, 1905-1906
This is what the Reservoir looked like shortly after its completion. It is a far different landscape than it is today. The water level in the reservoir is much lower and there are far fewer trees across the landscape. You can see where modern-day Route 7 crosses the water at the image center left.
Tomhnannock Creek, 1900
G. Foster's Sawmill, Bert Rifenberg's Wood Lot, Circa 1900
This rarely-seen image is the lowlands that were named the Tomhannock Flats before the construction of the Reservoir began in 1900. This land was considered some of the best farmland in Rensselaer County. It was beautiful, too. Today, this landscape is under 50 feet of water, mud, and silt.
Tomhannock Hotel, turn of the 20th century: When the Tomhannock was built in the early 1900s, it bisected to town of Tomhannock. This hotel was a busy stage stop.
Roughly 60 farmers were displaced though eminent domain, with compensation as low of $50 per acre. I have the land damage claims and will post them when they have been restored. Some buildings remain under the water to this day. This image has been restored and colorized.
Two women take a horse-drawn carriage ride along the shore of the newly constructed Tomhannock Reservoir in the early 1900s. No location data was provided, but from the look of the terrain, this is likely at the north end of the Reservoir, just east of the spillway. From the look of the shoreline, the landscape has gone through many changes since its construction. That small island has vanished.
This is the modern boundary of the Reservoir from 2023 overlaid onto a county map from 1854. It's anchored in a few places that appear on both maps. The dark line down the spine of the shape is the creek that was used to flood the valley. Everything within that shape is now under up to 50 feet of water. Property names from the 1854 survey map and their locations can be found inside the boundary. It's important to remember the shape of the Reservoir has changed many times over the last 130 years.
Case Study:
Tomhannock Historical Restoration
Historical photo restoration is the process of digitally restoring and repairing old or damaged photographs to improve their overall appearance and preserve their historical significance. This process involves using various techniques and software tools to remove scratches, stains, dust, and other blemishes from the original photo, as well as adjusting color, contrast, and other elements to bring the image back to its original or intended state.
Historical photo restoration is important because it allows us to preserve and share images from the past, which can offer valuable insights into our cultural heritage, history, and personal memories. By restoring these images, we can help ensure that they remain accessible and meaningful for future generations. The public interest in this project has been high. While the history of the Reservoir has been documented, some of these images haven’t seen the light of day in decades. It’s important to restore these images and document the landscape before it was forever changed.
Over the past 20 years, I have documented the many moods and seasons of the Tomhannock Reservoir in Pittstown, New York. I have come to know the landscape intimately. Having heard the stories of the “ghost farms” below the water, I have been researching the history of the land for the last 10 years. This ongoing project will culminate in a film titled “The Valley That Disappeared”, a project documenting the modern lore of the Reservoir.
The Tomhannock Reservoir is a man-made reservoir located in Rensselaer County, New York, USA. It was constructed in the early 20th century by damming the Tomhannock Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River. The reservoir provides drinking water to the city of Troy, as well as several surrounding communities. The construction of the Reservoir required the flooding of some of the best farmlands in the area. The Tomhannock Flats was erased under 50 feet of dark water. I call it “the valley that disappeared”. My research has uncovered images of the farms that used to dot the Flats that haven’t been seen in decades. Using modern mapping technology, I have constructed a map that places the contours of the reservoir as it is today on the landscape of the late 1800s. Such techniques provide insight into the people whose land was taken by the waters.
The reservoir has a surface area of approximately 1,700 acres and a capacity of over 7 billion gallons of water. The Tomhannock Reservoir plays an important role in the local ecosystem, providing a habitat for a variety of plant and animal species. The area is also significant for its historical and cultural significance, as it was once inhabited by Native American tribes and played a role in the American Revolution.
-John Bulmer, Nor’easter Films
March 2023