Great Molasses Flood site - 1919 Purity Distilling tank collapse

On January 15, 1919 a 2.3 million gallon molasses storage tank owned by the Purity Distilling Company ruptured in Boston's North End, sending a wave of molasses through surrounding streets and causing 21 deaths and numerous injuries. The disaster is unique in U.S. urban history for the scale and unusual nature of a fast-moving molasses flood and prompted changes in building inspection and tank construction standards. The site of the tank's location is commonly identified at the Commercial Street address used by the company at the time.