Arthur Magson and T. McGrane photograph album of Hurricane of 1938

Item — Volume: Album

Identifier: 144-03

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This album includes 98 photographs taken by Arthur Magson and T. McGrane in 1938 that document the damage which unfolded on the day of the hurricane and tidal wave that devastated New England in 1938 as well as the cleanup and reconstruction efforts in the days following its landfall. The photographs document the rising water level and damage to downtown Providence on the day of the hurricane, as well as the eventual cleanup-reconstruction effects that took place across Providence, Cranston, and Warwick. There is one photograph that depicts a newspaper clipping from 1938 which compares the hurricane to a previous storm in 1815.

Dates

1938-09-21

Creator

Magson, Arthur (Photographer, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

PPL does not claim copyright to this collection. Users of this item are responsible for determining copyright restrictions.

Biographical / Historical

The creators of this photograph album are noted as Arthur Magson and T. McGrane on the verso title page of the album.

Arthur Magson was born on June 29, 1909 in Bradford, England. He immigrated to the United States at the age of five with his mother Florence A. Magson to follow his father, Fred Magson, who had already immigrated at the time of their arrival. The family lived in Providence, Rhode Island at 354 Prairie Avenue at the time of the album’s creation. Magson worked as a painter, and went on to serve in the US Army Air Corps as part of the National Guard as a Staff Sergeant between 1940 and 1945. Magson died on October 14, 1987 in West Warwick.

The name T. McGrane is also listed alongside Arthur Magson as a creator of this album. It is possible that it is Thomas L. McGrane (born 1911), however, there is not enough identifying information to verify this.