WILLIAMSBURG — “We are the stewards of the river. It holds our history, it holds our future. The river is part of us and we are part of the river!”

Third graders at Anne T. Dunphy School rehearsed their lines earlier this month ahead of a performance highlighting the Mill River Watershed, the waterway that flows through Williamsburg and has played a significant role in the town’s history and environment.

The play was the culmination of a year of study into the watershed, supported by a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant from the state. As part of this in-depth research into the river, students added a key word to their vocabulary: stewardship, or the responsibility to care for and protect natural resources for future generations.

“We learned how to be stewards of the river and stuff like that,” said third grader Allison Berrena, who along with 14 classmates put on the performance that featured background sounds of running water and bongos, and interviews with family members.

Families shared that the river is where many Burgy residents first learned to swim, and described it as the ideal place to hike, ride bikes, fish, and spend time with family.

Others said the river helps their family farm grow and provides fresh water in town wells. Another testimonial shared that the water is beautiful to see driving along Route 9.

Aside from what the river means to the community today, students also looked back at what it has meant to the community for several centuries.

“Like the flood in 1874 and all the mills that were built along the river and about history — and we learned to dance,” said student Violet Woglom.

According to Historic Northampton, the Mill River Flood of May 16, 1874, stemmed from a series of cost-cutting decisions that later made national headlines and spurred safety laws for dam construction nationwide, not just in Massachusetts.

Seeking to expand waterpower for factories along the Mill River, the Williamsburg Reservoir Company rejected a professional engineer’s $100,000 dam proposal and instead hired an inexperienced local engineer and contractors who built the dam for just $22,000.

Without state regulations for dam construction, a shabby dam led to a huge disaster. The dam inevitably gave out, and a massive wall of water swept through the Mill River Valley, destroying four villages — Williamsburg village, Skinnerville, Haydenville and Leeds — and killing 139 people within an hour.

Investigations found the disaster resulted from negligent construction, though no one was held financially accountable.

Flooding continues to be a concern for the businesses and homes along the Mill River’s banks. In 2023, the East Branch of the Mill River overflowed following intensive rain, leading to a loss of business and property. The destruction brought Gov. Maura Healey to town to assess the damages, though no lives were lost.

Given the river’s history, students also learned how they can be responsible stewards of the watershed by protecting water quality, which helps prevent environmental damage and reduces risks to local infrastructure.

As part of the play students held up signs that said, “invest in solutions that protect our future,” “protect our school,” “keep our drinking water safe,” and “improve roads and bridges.”

Students have ventured to the river a dozen times over the school year, and have spoken with members of the town government, Select Board, Planning Board, Conservation Commission and the Mill River Greenway Committee. A spokesperson from Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife has also done a presentation.

Currently in the school’s hallway are drawings and write-ups that informed the play’s script, which the students conceived.

“I’m so impressed by the exuberance of the students,” said Mel Redwin, a teacher who directed the play. “They’re really excited to share their knowledge. They really wanted to create and make decisions about the choreography, the script. So they were just all in on the process as well as the final performance.”

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