Rare Photos of the 1955 Flood. All the photos were taken by Dick Russell just after the rains stopped and the water started to recede.

Sixty-nine years ago, Milton was enjoying a delightful summer that was not excessively hot but rather just right. Dick Russell and his wife, Alice, were content in their recently constructed house on Gibbons Street. The location proved to be ideal for raising a family, situated away from the main streets and adjacent to the Pine Tree Brook. It felt as though they were living in paradise, surrounded by nature in the heart of Milton, and it served as a haven for children who happily played alongside the brook.

At this time of the year the brook was at its lowest level, perfect for looking for frogs and everything a young child could conjure up. Wading in the brook was frowned upon by the adults, but still an adventurous child would occasionally take the plunge.

On that rainy morning of Friday, August 19, 1955, Russell left for his job at Russell's Diner in Quincy. It happened to be fish day, which was the busiest day of the week at the diner.

Russell laughs while sharing the story, saying, "While I was at work, my wife called to inform me that water was rising up Gibbons Street from the brook. Despite being busy and feeling slightly annoyed, I made a sarcastic comment, telling her to grab a Dixie cup and start bailing."

Russell was not laughing when he hurried home and found that he couldn't drive down Warren Avenue due to the flooding. "As I began walking towards my house, I noticed that Warren Avenue, which is usually elevated at Audubon Road, was submerged in water that reached above my knees," Russell explained.

Russell trudged through the water, with growing concern for his wife, who was seven months pregnant. The power had completely shut down, and Russell was on the verge of panic, unable to communicate with his wife.

After finally making it inside his house and comforting his wife, he opened the cellar door only to find over five feet of water in his basement. Heartbroken at the sight of his new house under such conditions, Russell turned to Alice and said, "It's time to man the lifeboat."

Russell, an amateur speed boat racer and enthusiast, was the only person in the neighborhood with a boat. Initially, he had built the boat exclusively for racing purposes, without ever anticipating its transformation into a rescue vessel. Nonetheless, fate took a turn as he spent the entire night and the following day checking on and assisting his stranded neighbors.

During that time period, it rained for 72 hours, and the Blue Hills Reservation recorded 15.50 inches of rainfall.