
Shipping Estimate
USA
- USA
- CAN
- USA
- CAN
Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 8 - Jul 13
For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15
Description
In the Shadow of the Dam: The Aftermath of the Mill River Flood of 1874Early one May morning in 1874, in the hills above Williamsburg, Massachusetts, a reservoir dam suddenly burst, sending an avalanche of water down a narrow river valley lined with factories and farms. In just thirty minutes, the Mill River flood left 139 people dead and 740 homeless and a nation wondering how this terrible calamity had happened. In this compelling tale of a man made disaster peopled with everyday heroes and arrogant scoundrels,
Early one May morning in 1874, in the hills above Williamsburg, Massachusetts, a reservoir dam suddenly burst, sending an avalanche of water down a narrow river valley lined with factories and farms. In just thirty minutes, the Mill River flood left 139 people dead and 740 homeless -- and a nation wondering how this terrible calamity had happened. In this compelling tale of a man-made disaster peopled with everyday heroes and arrogant scoundrels, Elizabeth Sharpe opens a rare window into industry and village life in nineteenth-century New England, a time when dam failures and other industrial accidents were widespread and laws favored factory owners rather than factory workers. In the Mill Valley, the townsfolk depended upon generally benevolent patriarchs who assured them that the dam was safe, when most people could see that it was not. The story of the Mill River flood is the story of those townsfolk: of George Cheney, the dam keeper whose repeated warnings about leaks in the dam had been ignored by the mill owners; of his wife, Elizabeth, who watched in disbelief as the dam burst open from the bottom; of Isabell Hayden, the mother who saw her young son swept away in the river's torrent; and of Fred Howard, a box maker who spent the days after the flood searching for bodies, burying friends, and waiting to see if the button factory he relied upon for his livelihood would be rebuilt. It is also the story of the well-meaning but overconfident businessmen who built the dam: of Onslow Spelman, the manufacturer who dismissed the dam keeper's flood warning, irrationally insisting that the dam could not break; of Lucius Fenn and Joel Bassett, the engineer and contractor whose roles in the construction of the dam would be questioned during the public inquest into the causes of the flood; of William Skinner, the factory owner who struggled to decide whether or not to rebuild his silk factory in the village that bore his name; and of many others. The flood highlighted class divisions between worker and owner, as well as the disorganized state of professional engineering, then still in its infancy. As the flood exposed the dangers of allowing mill owners -- who were not trained engineers -- to design their own dam, legislation to regulate the building of reservoir dams in Massachusetts was enacted for the first time. Engineers, politicians, and business owners battled over control of the reform measures to prevent similar tragedies, yet saw them continually repeated. In the Shadow of the Dam is the story of an event that reshaped a society. Told through the eyes of villagers like Collins Graves, lauded as a hero for his desperate ride through the valley to warn people of the impending flood, and industrialists like Joel Hayden Jr., entrusted with the responsibility of disaster relief despite his culpability in failing to maintain the leaking dam, In the Shadow of the Dam is a history of our uneasy relationship with industrial progress and a riveting narrative of a tragic disaster in small-town Massachusetts.Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Free Press
Published: 08/10/2007
ISBN: 9781416572640
Pages: 304
Weight: 0.99lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.68d
Shipping Notes
- Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
- Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
- Delivery to the USA:
- Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
- If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
- We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
- Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
- To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
- Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
4.5 ★★★★★
Based on 364 reviews
Sort
Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Lovely
Color: Silver White - 02, Color: Silver White - 02
This is the best body glitter I have ever owned. I have a spray one and it is not as shiny as this one. This one has a very good appearance. It literally is shining so bright without the lights being off. This is one drop on my hand that I spread around, it does go on as a liquid and then it dries up and soak in your skin . From the bottle It has a very fresh scent like a very, very light scent, but when you put on your skin, it doesn’t smell like anything so you can still put on your regular perfume without worrying about mixing fragrances. It’s a good decent size especially considering I only did one drop and I get so much glitter!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Perfect Champagne Shimmer for Festivals & Events
Color: Champagne Gold - 01
Color- Champagne Gold shade.
So cute! Get it! I always end up getting compliments when I wear this to festivals/concerts/event. It works great not just on your face but all over your body like arms, chest, shoulders, anywhere you want a little extra glow. It adds a really cute shimmer without being too extreme or over-the-top. I especially like wearing it to festivals or events where there are lots of lights or sunshine, because that’s when it really catches the light and looks the best.
Once it dries, it has more of a matte finish with a soft shimmer rather than looking overly dewy or greasy. The champagne color blends really nicely with my neutral/tan skin tone, so it looks natural while still adding that fun sparkle. It’s a great little addition to any festival or event outfit.
A little bit goes a long way. I’ve probably used this around 20 times already and still have at least half the bottle left. Another huge plus is that it washes off easily and doesn’t flake everywhere or leave glitter all over the floors and counters like some other body glitters I’ve tried. Overall, a great product if you want a subtle but noticeable shimmer! ✨
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Buy it!
Color: Champagne Gold - 01
I love the glitter on my body, it stays and is not sticky! But does get everywhere I touch haha
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2026
★★★★★ 4
LOTS of glitter
Color: Champagne Gold - 01, Color: Champagne Gold - 01
A little goes a long way, one drop is packed with glitter. Also it actually dries to matte finish, not dewy.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2025
★★★★★ 5
Great summer or event buy
Color: 3 Pcs SET, Color: 3 Pcs SET
Great shimmer I add them to oils for that glow effect ✨️. So cute and soft no cutting from glitter like some hard flakes vs powder.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2026