Author Revisits Devastating 38' Hurricane at Saint Johnsbury Athenuem

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Created on Friday, 13 March 2026 13:23
Written by Max Kocha

Author Revisits Devastating 38' 1938 Hurricane at Saint Johnsbury Atheneum

Saint Johnsbury –  The hurricane that smashed through the Northeast Kingdom. Residents gathered last night at the Saint Johnsbury Atheneum for a meet-and-greet with author Stephen Long, who was presenting his book, Thirty-Eight: The Hurricane that Changed New England, which was published in 2016. The author revisited one of the region's deadliest natural disasters to hit our communities and the impact it has left on the area since then.

Long started the event by presenting highlights from his book. One of the highlights of his book is the unusual path of the 1938 hurricane and why it was different compared to others that have been studied. He continued to highlight the disaster, adding a quote from the Boston Herald stating," A tropical hurricane of incredible violence swept Massachusetts and the rest of New England last night for the first time in history in the area." The authorLong then got into what the 3 biggest distractions to the area were:  The three were storm surges to coastal areas, Inland flooding because of the floods before the hurricane, and the crazy wind speeds. As Long as would describe it as "complete devastation".

The storm's effects on Vermont agriculture were a major topic in the presentation, and a local student, Matthew Barron, said this when asked about his thoughts on the topic: " It was interesting, living in the Saint Johnsbury area. I didn't realize how big of an impact it had on Vermont Farming."

During the event, Long explained what inspired him to write about the 38' hurricane and told a personal story. " We bought our land in 1988..., 50 years after the hurricane. As I'm walking around with a forester, ...he said, "These woods blew down in the 1938 hurricane, "... and to me, these were mature woods. So it puzzled me, and so I wanted to understand how that could be true." He went into depth on how quickly these forests were growing, and then what he researched.

Nearly 9 decades later, the hurricane is still known as one of the most transformative events to hit the New England area. Long's presentation helps attendees understand how impactful this hurricane was to the North-East-Kingdom. The night ended with book signings for people in attendance and questions about the presentation and the book.