On Nov. 25, 1950 a windstorm and the following day's floods swept across Berkshire County and knocked down trees, power and phone lines, washed out roads and caused New England $15 million in damage, estimated by the U.S. Department of the Interior at the time.
The storm reached reported gusts of 80 miles an hour. More than 1,000 trees were uprooted on Mount Greylock and Notch Road, closed for winter, was blocked for two weeks. It was estimated that 250 trees were toppled in Pittsfield alone, many of them landing on homes or cars.
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One of the greatest losses in the county was suffered at the Fred E. Werle farm where a $20,000 barn collapsed on top of a tractor, a mower, a hay rake, seeders and about 40 tons of hay.
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A man looks at the roots of a fallen tree
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Mr. and Mrs. William F. Weishaar, recently of California, had been in the new Pittsfield house at the corner of Warwick Street and Pomeroy Ave. only two hours when this poplar tree fell across the house.
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A tree landed on the roof of a cabin
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Clearing the roadway of fallen trees
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One of the greatest losses in the county was suffered at the Fred E. Werle farm where a $20,000 barn collapsed on top of a tractor, a mower, a hay rake, seeders and about 40 tons of hay.
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Damage to a barn is cleared away
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The windstorm of November 25, 1950 reached gusts of 80 miles an hour and left a trail or inverted and twisted aircraft throughout the area. At the Pittsfield airport, two private planes were flipped on their backs
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Damage to a Chevy coupe
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Toll? Two cars. A car in the garage was flattened. The other, in the driveway, was damaged when this poplar tree fell at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Chrzanowski on Broadway.
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The Pleasure Avenue homes of Peter P. Russo, at left, and John Tysziewski were the targets for two lofty poplars.
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Francis Martin's consideration for his wife cost the family a cadillac. Martin had parked the car in front of their Myrtle Street house so his wife wouldn't get soaked as she made her way from the curb to the house. Mrs. Martin didn't get drenched, but a tree later fell on the car.
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Damage to an antenna from the Nov. 25, 1950 windstorm
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Clear Weave window damage
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Damage to the windshield and hood of a Plymouth
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Mr. and Mrs. William F. Weishaar, recently of California, had been in the new Pittsfield house at the corner of Warwick Street and Pomeroy Ave. only two hours when this poplar tree fell across the house.
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Fallen trees and brush after the 1950 windstorm
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Flooding
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Man clears broken glass at storefront
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Man looks at damage to a car from the windstorm
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Man works on power lines after the windstorm
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Meadows flooded between Adams and North Adams
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The tool shed of Robert's Trucking Co. on Fourth Street had a huge poplar tree fall through its roof. The tree was one of six that fell along the street line. A maze of power and telephone wires added to the chaos.
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Smoke appears to be coming from a building damaged by the storm
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A little bowlegged, but still standing, this garage at 33 North St. , on the corner of High Street, Dalton, was neatly widened by Saturday's winds. Owner James F. Burns jacked it back into position Sunday afternoon. Unequipped with doors, the garage faced directly into the wind.
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Surveying damage from fallen trees at the Pleasure Avenue homes of Peter P. Russo, at left, and John Tysziewski.
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This building appears to have shifted on its foundation
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This lucky house missed serious damage from a fallen tree limb
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The corner of the roof caught this elm tree that fell on the apartment house, owned by Denis T. Noonan, at the corner of East Street and Bartlett Avenue.
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Three large elms lean on Messenger's Garage, Main Street, Dalton, after the Nov. 25 storm. Owner Charles F. Messenger surveys the damage, which included a broken skylight.
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Toppled trees between the roads, November, 1950
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Downed trees on Brennon's Hill blocked traffic to Berkshire, a village of Lanesborough. All telephone pole and street lights were without power.
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Tree blocks roadway, November, 1950
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The sight that greeted tenants returning to a Second Street entrance of the Livingston Apartments. The elm tree hit the roof, grazed a bay window and demolished part of the brick entryway.
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Two of the six poplar trees that fell on Curtis Terrace in the Morningside part of Pittsfield.
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Vehicle damage from the windstorm
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