From the Graham Sesquicentennial edition, published in The Alamance News, April 19, 2001:
[Many long-time Graham residents insist that the snow of January 23, 1940 still holds the record for the heaviest snow to hit the city. The following news account, with its original headline wording (above), from the Alamance County News and The Burlington Journal of January 25, 1940, outlines the 24-inch snowfall and its effects on the community.]
By a blizzard and snow storm which was the worst in many years, Burlington and Alamance County were literally cut off from the outside world on Tuesday night. Mills, schools, trains, bus transportation, mails, highway traffic of private cars or trucks were all stopped in short order.
The snow which started in the afternoon was soon intensified and lashed to a fury by a gale which lasted well into the night and on Wednesday morning around a average of 24 inches of snow blanked Alamance County in a picturesque white setting.
Cars of theatre patrons had to be left where parked. They were banked deep in snow and efforts to move them availed not. Some are still to be dug out of the drifts. All over the city was a complete paralysis of daily activities, mail delivery to residential sections, delivery of goods, even opening of some stores.
The roof of the used car shed at Spence Clapp Motor Co. fell in under the snow weight and damaged a number of late model cars stored there. The balance of the car lot was drifted in snow to car tops.
At the Green-McClure furniture and undertaking establishment in Graham the roof of the garage collapsed from overburden of snow. Train and bus schedules were knocked out of existence for two days. Not in years had a storm taken the penalty in cost from city and county generally that this blizzard brought on.
Mayor Earl Horner of Burlington got busy toward digging the city out of the depths of white and had on the job every available unemployed man and every piece of city equipment. Snow plows made their appearance. But it was a task far beyond the facilities at hand and even now the work is not completed of clearing streets and approaches.
Mayor Crawford had the work of cleaning Graham streets underway immediately.
The state highway dept. stopped all night buses and trucks, as travel was too risky. Many wrecks occurred in city and county by motorists who took a chance on slippery conditions and every store sold out of tire chains.
There was a run of business on coal dealers, taxies, dealers in warm bedding and clothing, etc. But luckily the telegraph and telephone service, light and water serve stood the gaff of the extreme freeze and heavy snowfall.
In some places drifts as high as 10 and 12 feet were reported. The snowlocked community of Burlington, that of Graham and Mebane afforded amateur photographers unusual thrills and opportunities.
Schools are closed down entirely for the time being. Mills had to abandon efforts to operate, no matter how rushing were some orders for goods. Not in a decade has the county been so hard hit by a winter storm.
Community with Charlotte by highway was impossible for two days., the road to Danville and Lynchburg closed and the Richmond route also out of commission.
Credit must be given to the officials of the cities and county of putting forth every possible effort to prevent suffering and to bring about recovery as soon as possible from the blighting visit of Old Man Winter.
