On July 23, 1945, the worst flood in a generation poured over northern New Jersey and southern New York, transforming miles of streets and countryside into rivers of destruction.
The dams at Crestwood Lake and Freeman’s Pond gave way to the pressure of swollen streams. The entire business section of Allendale was flooded when water swept down through West Crescent and Myrtle Avenues to cover the borough waist-deep with a sea of turbulent water. Greatest damage to a single area was done to the Erie Railroad, where 200 feet of westbound passenger tracks was washed out, causing long delays in the movement of commuter trains. Trains were detoured over westbound freight tracks during the early stages of repairs.
Mayor George L. Christopher organized rescue and relief forces with the assistance of many volunteer citizens including lifeguards Paul D. O’Connor and Leonard Baum Jr.
Eight members of the Alsdorf family were taken out of their home by boat. A turkey hen with a new brood resisted all attempts at rescue and was lost along with most of the birds raised on the place. The Allendale Celery farm was completely inundated, and the entire crop was lost. Borough marshal Kenneth Booth, responding to an alarm call, stalled his car in the roaring flood sweeping down West Allendale Avenue and had to wade to safety. Recreation Park was completely inundated when Crestwood Lake’s retaining wall let go, pouring millions of gallons of water down West Crescent and Allendale Avenues. At its peak the water was waist-deep at the intersection. Brookside Avenue Bridge was completely destroyed along with the iron guard rail and the entire roadbed.
The west-bound track was found suspended in the air with all the ground washed from under it and down the embankment of about 30 feet into the West Crescent Avenue vehicular underpass.
The flood over the railroad tracks was probably caused by the breaking of the dam at the Ramsey Estates, Ramsey, about three miles north of the tracks, which it is also thought to have caused the break in the dam at Crestwood Lake.
There was also considerable damage done in the private homes of the residents, any number of whom had three and four feet of water in their cellars; oil burner motors and washing machine motors were destroyed and gardens washed out with the flood. A few families off Park Avenue were evacuated from their homes in row boats, and there was about 14 inches of water on their first floors.
The restoring and laying of the Erie Railroad west bound track just north of West Crescent Avenue was accomplished after a number of track crews worked the night with the aid of flood lights, relieved by other crews the following day.