This is a Springfield College envelope with a special hurricane seal on it. The seal represents the Great New England Hurricane in 1938. This was probably part of the fund raising activities for the repair of Springfield College's East Campus, which suffered catastrophic damage. The envelope also has the address of SC alumnus Emery Bauer (Class of 1908) and a stamp on it. Nothing is on the back of the envelope. On September 21, 1938, Massachusetts was struck by a massive hurricane that would become known as 'The Great New England Hurricane of 1938.' The storm formed near the coast of Africa, becoming a Category 5 before making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Long Island. It is estimated that the hurricane killed 682 people, damaged or destroyed more than 57,000 homes, and caused property losses estimated at $306 million ($4.7 billion in 2017). In Springfield, the river rose 6 to 10 feet above flood stage, while the Connecticut River flooded most of Willimansett. Flash flooding on the Chicopee River washed away the Chicopee Falls Bridge, and residents of Ware were stranded for days and relied on air-dropped food and medicine.
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