Johnstown Flood National Memorial

Last updated
Johnstown Flood National Memorial
What remains of the South Fork Dam (11717678065).jpg
Dam abutment and Elias Unger's farm
USA Pennsylvania relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Pennsylvania
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Location in the United States
Location Croyle Township / Adams Township, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, USA
Nearest city Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°20′44″N78°46′43″W / 40.34556°N 78.77861°W / 40.34556; -78.77861
Area164.12 acres (66.42 ha) [1]
EstablishedAugust 31, 1964 [1]
Visitors111,987(in 2005)
Governing body National Park Service
Website Johnstown Flood National Memorial

The Johnstown Flood National Memorial is a unit of the United States National Park Service. [2] [3] Established in 1964 [4] through legislation signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, [5] [6] it pays tribute to the thousands of victims of the Johnstown Flood, who were injured or killed on May 31, 1889 when the South Fork Dam ruptured. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Contents

History

History of the Johnstown Flood

Founded in 1800, Johnstown was a steel town that grew from the development of the Pennsylvania Railroad and other transportation services in Cambria County. [11] [12] By 1889, the town had a population of thirty thousand people who were of mostly German and Welsh ancestry. Established in the center of a narrow floodplain between Little Conemaugh and Stony Creek rivers, the community was surrounded, during the latter part of the nineteenth century, by land that had been altered by deforestation and the leveling of hills. These factors contributed to periodic floods, as did the narrow river valleys. [13]

In 1836, the South Fork dam was built to create a reservoir (later named Conemaugh Lake) for the Pennsylvania Canal's western division. Measuring eight hundred and fifty feet at its breast section, the dam was made of earth and stone. It was reported to be the largest dam of its type in the world at the time of its construction. Subsequently abandoned by the canal system, it was purchased by private owners, including a former congressman.

Ultimately it was purchased by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, an exclusive recreational group composed of wealthy individuals from the Pittsburgh region, for use as a summer mountain retreat. The club paid for repairs to the dam and additional development: a main building and "cottages" to transform the area into a boating and fishing resort community. [14] [15]

On May 31, 1889, the South Fork dam broke from the weight of combined heavy rains and a sudden freshet that had caused a significantly higher amount of water to accumulate in its reservoir than normal. The dam's rupture [16] [17] released twenty million tons of water, which traveled at forty miles per hour, creating a seventy-foot-high wall of water that was propelled fourteen miles downward into the Little Conemaugh River Valley, where it flooded Johnstown. [18] Property, industry, homes, farms, and lives were destroyed as the water, debris, oil, and bodies of flood victims were caught in the arches of a Pennsylvania Railroad-owned stone bridge. Eighty of the trapped people subsequently died in a related fire. [13] [19] [20] [21]

Although the flood lasted for only ten minutes, the catastrophic damage it caused required five years of cleanup and rebuilding to enable residents of Johnstown to recover. [22] In addition to the thousands of initial injuries and lives lost, the community was affected by an outbreak of typhoid fever, which developed from bacteria-tainted flood waters and lack of sanitation. Forty more people died.

Surviving residents were treated and cared for by relief corps from several cities in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The federal government and foreign countries also responded with more than $3.7 million in money, food, and clothing for the town. [13] [23] [24] Clara Barton and the Red Cross also responded with substantial aid.

Just sixteen when the flood happened, survivor Victor Heiser years later recollected that time during a recording of his oral history. He remembered people living in the area near the dam often saying beforehand, "That dam will give way, but it won’t ever happen to us." He said that when the flood hit, it was like a "huge wall" coming down the street. [25] The longest-living survivor of the flood, Frank Shomo, died March 20, 1997, at the age of one hundred and eight. [26]

History of the memorial

As a result of legislation proposed by U.S. Congressman John P. Saylor (R-PA), H.R. 931, [27] which was supported by the Blair County Historical Society and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, [28] creation of this memorial was approved by the United States Congress on August 31, 1964. [29] Signed into law by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 2, 1964, [30] the Johnstown Flood National Memorial was officially established.

It was to preserve the remains of the South Fork Dam. This had been found to be structurally lacking at the time of its rupture during the Johnstown Flood on May 31, 1889. Also conserved by this legislation were the former Lake Conemaugh bed, along with the nearby farm of Elias Unger and the clubhouse of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, which had owned the dam and reservoir. [31] [32] [33] The associated land is treated as a park.

The memorial is presently located at 733 Lake Road near South Fork, Pennsylvania, [1] about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

The clubhouse and several associated buildings have since been designated as part of a National Historic Landmark District, established in 1986 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They are significant not only for the role of the club in the flood, but as an example of elite recreational clubs in the late nineteenth century, and the architecture of the time.

Park features

The visitor center at this national memorial offers two floors of exhibits with maps, views of the former dam, tactile displays, historic photographs of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, a reproduction morgue book, the oral history of flood survivor Victor Heiser, and the film, "Black Friday." Visitors may go to s the Unger House and the Springhouse. [34]

Visitors to the national memorial may also explore the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Clubhouse, which was acquired by the park in 2006, and the Lake View Visitor Center. Ranger-interpreted and van-guided tours are also both available. [35]

Hiking trails connect various parts of the memorial, and picnicking areas are also present throughout. [36]

Lakebed Rehabilitation Project

On January, 2020, the Lakebed Rehabilitation Project began at the Johnston Flood National Memorial. The project's goal was to restore the view of how the lakebed looked before the breakage of the dam in 1889. Vegetation has grown in the area so the National Park Service Wildland Fire and Aviation staff cleared it using a masticator machine. [37] This caused problems however as there are many places that both man and machine cannot clear with safety. An organization named Allegheny Goatscape from Pittsburgh used their services of 12 goats and a donkey to provide assistance in clearing the area. The herd is able to eat an approximate of an acre of vegetation every two weeks. [38] Another organization named Russell Tree Experts from Ohio also assisted in mechanical clearing of the lakebed. [39] This clearing project is expected to continue till the summer of 2021.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnstown, Pennsylvania</span> City in Pennsylvania, United States

Johnstown is the largest city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 census. Located 57 miles (92 km) east of Pittsburgh, it is the principal city of the Johnstown metropolitan area, which is located in Cambria County and had 133,472 residents in 2020. It is also part of the Johnstown–Somerset combined statistical area, which includes both Cambria and Somerset Counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area</span> National recreation area in the United States

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is a national recreation area established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, following the construction of the Yellowtail Dam by the Bureau of Reclamation. It is one of over 420 sites managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The recreation area spans 120,296.22 acres, straddling the border between Wyoming and Montana. It is divided into two distinct areas, the North District accessed via Fort Smith, Montana and the South District accessed through Lovell, Wyoming. There is no thru road inside the recreation area connecting the two districts. The Yellowtail Dam is located in the North District. It is named after the famous Crow leader Robert Yellowtail, harnesses the waters of the Bighorn River by turning that variable watercourse into Bighorn Lake. The lake extends 71 miles (114 km) through Wyoming and Montana, 55 miles (89 km) of which lie within the national recreation area. The lake provides recreational boating, fishing, water skiing, kayaking, and birding opportunities to visitors. About one third of the park unit is located on the Crow Indian Reservation. Nearly one-quarter of the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range lies within the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Clay Frick</span> American industrialist

Henry Clay Frick was an American industrialist, financier, and art patron. He founded the H. C. Frick & Company coke manufacturing company, was chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company and played a major role in the formation of the giant U.S. Steel manufacturing concern. He had extensive real estate holdings in Pittsburgh and throughout the state of Pennsylvania. He later built the Neoclassical Frick Mansion in Manhattan, and upon his death donated his extensive collection of old master paintings and fine furniture to create the celebrated Frick Collection and art museum. However, as a founding member of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, he was also in large part responsible for the alterations to the South Fork Dam that caused its failure, leading to the catastrophic Johnstown Flood. His vehement opposition to unions also caused violent conflict, most notably in the Homestead Strike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnstown Flood</span> Massive flood of Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1889

The Johnstown Flood, sometimes referred to locally as Great Flood of 1889, occurred on Friday, May 31, 1889, after the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam, located on the south fork of the Little Conemaugh River, 14 miles (23 km) upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States. The dam ruptured after several days of extremely heavy rainfall, releasing 14.55 million cubic meters of water. With a volumetric flow rate that temporarily equaled the average flow rate of the Mississippi River, the flood killed 2,208 people and accounted for US$17,000,000 in damage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Conemaugh River</span> River in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania

The Little Conemaugh River is a tributary of the Conemaugh River, approximately 30 miles (48 km) long, in western Pennsylvania in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Fork Dam</span> Former dam in Pennsylvania

The South Fork Dam was an earthenwork dam forming Lake Conemaugh, an artificial body of water near South Fork, Pennsylvania, United States. On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam failed catastrophically and 20 million tons of water from Lake Conemaugh burst through and raced 14 miles (23 km) downstream, causing the Johnstown Flood.

The Quemahoning Reservoir, also known to locals as The Dam, is created by the Quemahoning Dam, located on Quemahoning Creek on the border of Quemahoning Township, Conemaugh Township, and Jenner Township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania just south of Hollsopple.

Livermore, Pennsylvania is an abandoned town that was located on the Conemaugh River between Blairsville and Saltsburg in Derry Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The town was abandoned and partially razed in the early 1950s following authorization by the Flood Control Act of 1936 and Flood Control Act of 1938 for construction of the Conemaugh Dam and Lake to prevent flooding of Pittsburgh. Much of the former town site now lies under the reservoir and floodplains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club</span> Historic district in Pennsylvania, United States

The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club was a Pennsylvania corporation that operated an exclusive and secretive retreat at a mountain lake near South Fork, Pennsylvania. Its members were more than 50 extremely wealthy industrialists and their families. Most were based in Pittsburgh, the center of steel and related industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George F. Huff</span> American politician (1842–1912)

George Franklin Huff was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambria Iron Company</span> United States historic place

The Cambria Iron Company of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a major producer of iron and steel that operated independently from 1852 to 1916. The company adopted many innovations in the steelmaking process, including those of William Kelly and Henry Bessemer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel J. Morrell</span> American politician

Daniel Johnson Morrell was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Floods in the United States before 1900 is a list of flood events that were of significant impact to the country, before 1900. Floods are generally caused by excessive rainfall, excessive snowmelt, and dam failure.

Louis Semple Clarke, or Semple Clarke or simply LS, (1866–1957) was a pioneering businessman and engineer in the American automotive industry. One of the central founders of The Autocar Company, Clarke was also an inventor who made numerous contributions to the development of modern motor vehicles, including innovations in the use of the drive shaft, circulating motor oil, sparkplugs, and the American convention of placing a vehicle's steering wheel on the left.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hay Reed</span> American judge

James Hay Reed was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. With partner Philander C. Knox, he formed the law firm of Knox and Reed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inclined Plane Bridge</span> Bridge in Pennsylvania, United States

The Inclined Plane Bridge is a 237-foot (72 m), Pennsylvania through truss bridge that spans Stonycreek River in Johnstown, Cambria County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It connects the city to the lower station of the Johnstown Inclined Plane. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 and was documented by the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) in 1997.

Conemaugh Health System, a member of Duke LifePoint Healthcare, is the largest health care provider in west central Pennsylvania, with multiple hospitals, physician offices, and outpatient centers in eleven counties. Conemaugh Health System is located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Mineral Point is an unincorporated community in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnstown flood of 1977</span> 1977 natural disaster in and around Johnstown, Pennsylvania

The Johnstown flood of 1977 was a major flood which began on the night of July 19, 1977, when heavy rainfall caused widespread flash flooding in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, including the city of Johnstown and the Conemaugh Valley.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The National Parks: Index 2005 - 2007" (PDF). National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. p. 75. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-10-10. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  2. ↑ "Park System to Include Two Johnstown Landmarks." Clearfield, Pennsylvania: The Progress, October 21, 1964, p. 24 (subscription required).
  3. ↑ "National Historic Sites." Somerset, Pennsylvania: The Daily American, September 5, 1964, p. 6 (subscription required).
  4. ↑ "Future Parks for America." Sikeston, Missouri: The Daily Standard, October 10, 1964, p. 8 (subscription required).
  5. ↑ Matthews, Don Jr. "Allegheny RR, Johnstown Flood Memorial in U.S. Park System." Lock Haven, Pennsylvania: The Express, September 29, 1964, p. 10 (subscription required).
  6. ↑ "Johnson Inks Johnstown Flood Bill." Indiana, Pennsylvania: The Indiana Gazette, September 2, 1964, p. 2 (subscription required).
  7. ↑ Walker, T. "Johnstown Flood National Memorial". State Parks. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  8. ↑ "Johnstown Flood Site to Be National Park." Allentown, Pennsylvania: The Morning Call, September 22, 1964, p. 6 (subscription required).
  9. ↑ "Johnstown Flood Memorial Approved." Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania: The Times Leader, September 2, 1964, p. 17 (subscription required).
  10. ↑ "Horrifying! 3,000 People Killed and Drowned! A Dam on Pennsylvania Lake Gives Way." Reno, Nevada: Reno Evening Gazette, June 1, 1889, p. 2 (subscription required).
  11. ↑ "Johnstown Flood Site to Be National Park," The Morning Call, September 22, 1964.
  12. ↑ "Johnstown Flood Memorial Approved," The Times Leader, September 2, 1964.
  13. 1 2 3 "Johnstown Flood". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  14. ↑ "Two Historic Landmarks To Be Units of National Park Setup." Hazleton, Pennsylvania: Standard-Speaker, September 29, 1964, p. 17 (subscription required).
  15. ↑ "Horrifying! 3,000 People Killed and Drowned! A Dam on Pennsylvania Lake Gives Way," Reno Evening Gazette.
  16. ↑ Dubbs, Paul M. "Natural Parks a Buffer: Beauty Disappearing." State College, Pennsylvania: Centre Daily Times, April 15, 1964, pp. 1, 7 (subscription required).
  17. ↑ "OK Bill to Create a Flood Memorial." Hazleton, Pennsylvania: Standard-Speaker, August 4, 1964, p. 6 (subscription required).
  18. ↑ "Horrifying! 3,000 People Killed and Drowned! A Dam on Pennsylvania Lake Gives Way," Reno Evening Gazette.
  19. ↑ "Johnstown Flood Site to Be National Park," The Morning Call, September 22, 1964.
  20. ↑ "Johnstown Flood Memorial Approved," The Times Leader, September 2, 1964.
  21. ↑ "Two Historic Landmarks To Be Units of National Park Setup," Standard-Speaker, September 29, 1964.
  22. ↑ National Historic Sites, The Daily American, September 5, 1964.
  23. ↑ "Johnstown Flood Site to Be National Park," The Morning Call, September 22, 1964.
  24. ↑ "Johnstown Flood Memorial Approved," The Times Leader, September 2, 1964.
  25. ↑ "Victor Heiser describes surviving the Johnstown Flood at the age of 16 - Johnstown Flood Museum". www.jaha.org. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  26. ↑ US Census Bureau, Census History Staff. "May 2019 - History - U.S. Census Bureau". www.census.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  27. ↑ "House," in "Washington Ripples." Indianapolis, Indiana: The Indianapolis Star, August 2, 1964, p. 14 (subscription required).
  28. ↑ "News From Around Here." Tyrone, Pennsylvania: Tyrone Daily Herald, June 26, 1964, p. 1 (subscription required).
  29. ↑ "OK Bill to Create a Flood Memorial," Standard-Speaker, August 4, 1964.
  30. ↑ "Johnson Inks Johnstown Flood Bill," The Indiana Gazette, September 2, 1964.
  31. ↑ Matthews, "Allegheny RR, Johnstown Flood Memorial in U.S. Park System," The Express, September 29, 1964.
  32. ↑ "Johnstown Flood Site to Be National Park," The Morning Call, September 22, 1964.
  33. ↑ "Johnstown Flood Memorial Approved," The Times Leader, September 2, 1964.
  34. ↑ "Lake View Visitor Center - Johnstown Flood National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  35. ↑ "South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club Clubhouse - Johnstown Flood National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  36. ↑ "Things To Do - Johnstown Flood National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  37. ↑ "Lakebed Rehabilitation Project - Johnstown Flood National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  38. ↑ "Herd of goats for Lakebed Rehabilitation Project - Johnstown Flood National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  39. ↑ "Russell Tree Experts - Johnstown Flood National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.