On this page members of the Maitland and District Historical Society are sharing their research into a variety of aspects of the history of our locality. New stories will be added as they become available.
Use search to find stories about the person, place, topic or keyword you are interested in.
The Maitland Lions Club and ‘Lionsville’
The newly-formed Maitland Lions Club performed a service to floodplain residents after the 1955 flood by developing a subdivision in an area beyond flood reach and relocating their houses to it.
‘The Cut’ that severed the Horseshoe Bend meander in 1893
‘The Cut’ to sever the Horseshoe Bend meander in 1893 began as a man-made project but a flood completed the job. The project was welcomed in West Maitland but not by everybody downstream.
The Glenbawn Dam rumour and the 1955 flood
There is a persistent belief among some Maitland people that the severity of the 1955 flood was due to the deliberate blowing up of Glenbawn Dam on the Hunter River above the town of Aberdeen. It is not true.
The shortening of the lower Hunter River
The Hunter River was much shortened after Europeans arrived, an indirect result of vegetation removal and the draining of wetlands. River behaviour changed, especially during floods, loops were cut off, the river became wider and shallower and huge amounts of good soil was lost.
Helping hands from outside Maitland: the 1955 flood
David Russell and Malcolm Bailey were two of the many people from outside Maitland who travelled to the town to help during and after the 1955 flood.