Rethinking Our History

Episode 4: The Great Molasses Flood

September 02, 2024 Felicia and Ian Lindsey Season 1 Episode 4

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We got a sticky sweet event for yall today. The morning of January 15th 1919 was like any other in the North Boston neighborhood where Purity Distilling kept their 2.3 million gallon tank of black strap molasses.

Around 12:30 in the afternoon everything changed when that tank exploded, flooding the neighborhood in millions of gallons of the sticky fluid, which then began to cool rapidly due to the season.

This tragedy is deeply imbedded in the community, as the city smelled of the sweet fluid for months, and then every summer for years the smell would return.

ROH Episode 4 Source Notes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molasses

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purity_Distilling_Company

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Molasses_Flood

https://www.history.com/news/the-great-molasses-flood-of-1919