The Johnstown Flood National Memorial site, Pennsylvania, United States.
A tour of the Johnstown Flood National Memorial site which commemorates the approximately 2,200 people who died in the Johnstown Flood on May 31, 1889.
The earthen dam failed after days of heavy rain and caused a break, which still exists, in the South Fork Dam, an earthen structure.
GPS location: 40.34968,-078.77061 (put into Google earth/map)
The Johnstown Flood of 1889
On May 31, 1889, a 450-acre man-made lake, detained by a fifty-year-old earthen dam and owned by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club (the exclusive reserve of a select group of Pittsburgh's wealthiest elites), ruptured its barrier and its liberated waters raced down the South Fork Creek, into the Little Conemaugh River, on its way to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, some 15 miles downstream. It took about 40 minutes for the lake to empty completely, but it did so with the force of the Niagara River. An estimated 20 million tons of water roared through the narrow confines of the mountain valleys at speeds sometimes in excess of 40 miles an hour and with a roiling wall of water and debris at times more than 70 feet high. The water scoured the valleys and hillsides to the bare bedrock, uprooting massive trees, shattering and pushing along all man-made structures: houses, stores, railroad beds and equipment, telegraph and telephone poles, stone and wooden bridges, plus uncountable tons of soil, loose rocks and huge boulders, and livestock and people and whatever else was in the path of its irresistible plunge downward as it descended some 500 feet in the 15-mile race to Johnstown.
The juggernaut of water and wreckage crashed into Johnstown and swept unstoppably over the whole town and over its several sister towns. Whole houses and businesses, and whole blocks of houses and businesses were torn loose and shattered by the impact. The wave collided with the hillside at the far side of town and returned as a massive wave of backwash surging through the ruins in the opposite direction, leveling most of what little had survived the first impact. From start to finish, the devastation took a mere ten minutes.
The official death toll ultimately was fixed at 2,209. One third of the corpses were never identified and hundreds of missing were never recovered. Human remains from the flood were found as late as 1906. Ninety-nine whole families perished; 396 children age 10 or less died; 98 children lost both parents; 124 women were left widows; 198 men were made widowers. It took five years to rebuild the town.
Johnstown Flood Memorial 2018
Johnstown Flood Memorial in PA
Johnstown Flood National Memorial, PA, - August 6, 2016 - Travels with Phil - Unedited
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Johnstown Flood National Memorial | Wikipedia audio article
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Johnstown Flood National Memorial
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SUMMARY
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Johnstown Flood National Memorial commemorates the approximately 2,200 people who died in the Johnstown Flood on May 31, 1889, caused by a break in the South Fork Dam, an earthen structure. The memorial is located at 733 Lake Road near South Fork, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Johnstown. The memorial preserves the remains of the dam and portions of the former Lake Conemaugh bed, along with the farm of Elias Unger and the clubhouse of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club which owned the dam and reservoir. The United States Congress authorized the national memorial on August 31, 1964.
Southfork Dam near Johnstown.
Dam that broke and caused the Johnstown Flood
Johnstown flood 1889
Produced with CyberLink PowerDirector 11 Johnstown flood 1889
Johnstown Flood
On May 31, 1889, a flood of enormous proportions took the lives of more than 2,000 people in Johnstown, PA. It was a dark day in American history and yet could have been easily prevented.
Johnstown Flood Musem Movie
Description
south fork dam Johnstown,PA UPJ
Southfork Dam
Breast of the broken Southfork Dam that caused the Johnstown Flood. One
JOHNSTOWN FLOOD - MAY 31, 1889 - The History Guy on location
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In a river valley in central Pennsylvania, heavy rain and a neglected dam lead to a catastrophe in which 2,209 people die and a prosperous city, Johnstown, is nearly wiped off the face of the earth.
Johnstown, located at the confluence of the Little Conemaugh River and Stony Creek, was 14 miles downstream from Lake Conemaugh, a reservoir turned recreational lake that was owned and maintained by the prestigious South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. The sporting club, which catered to a wealthy clientele from nearby Pittsburgh, included Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick on its membership rolls. Lake Conemaugh was held back by the South Fork Dam, a large earth-fill dam that was completed by the club in 1881. By 1889, the dam was in dire need of repairs.
When several days of heavy rain struck the area in late May 1889, club officials struggled to reinforce the neglected dam, which was under tremendous pressure from the swollen waters of Lake Conemaugh. The dam began to disintegrate, and on May 31 the lake’s water level passed over the top of the dam. Realizing that the dam’s collapse was imminent, club officials sent riders down the valley to evacuate area residents. However, flooding was a familiar occurrence in the valley, and few Johnstown residents heeded the riders’ desperate warnings. Most just took the same simple precautions they did when Little Conemaugh River flooded: They moved their belongings to the second story of their homes and settled down to wait out the storm.
At 3:10 p.m., the South Fork Dam washed away, drowning several laborers who were struggling to maintain it. Club officials on high ground watched awe-struck as 20 million tons of water went roaring down the valley toward Johnstown. The deluge swept through the communities of South Fork, Mineral Point, Woodvale, and East Conemaugh, accumulating debris, including rocks, trees, houses, barns, railroad cars, animals, and people, both dead and alive. By the time it reached Johnstown, at 4:07 p.m., the flood appeared as a rolling hill of debris more than 30 feet high and nearly half a mile wide. In a terrible swoop, the northern half of the city was swept away, sending some 1,500 demolished Johnstown buildings tumbling down with the roaring torrent.
It took 10 minutes for the waters of Lake Conemaugh to pass through Johnstown, and 2,000 people were drowned or crushed in the torrent. A few survivors were washed up along with numerous corpses several miles down the valley. At the old Stone Bridge in Johnstown, debris piled 40 feet high caught fire, and some 80 huddled survivors of the flood perished in the flames. A total of 2,209 died as a result of the disaster.
Among the survivors of the calamity, there was a scarcely an individual who had not lost a friend or relative in the Johnstown Flood. Despite the great scale of the tragedy, reconstruction of the devastated community began almost immediately, and Clara Barton and the American Red Cross constructed shelters for homeless residents while well-wishers around the country sent tons of relief supplies. The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club was widely criticized for its failure to maintain the South Fork Dam, but no successful lawsuits were ever brought against the organization.
A visit to the site of the Johnstown, PA flood of 1889
Recorded on March 16, 2010 using a Flip Video camcorder. A little bumpy.
JAHA announces $3.45 million plan for Johnstown Flood Museum
By: Maria Miller
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. -- It's a museum in the heart of Johnstown that attracts hundreds of visitors every year to learn the story of one of the worst disasters in American history: the 1889 Johnstown flood.
The building that houses the museum is in need of some major upgrades. On Thursday the Johnstown Area Heritage Association announced it has plans underway, but will need more than $3 million to make it happen.
This is Johnstown's story. The flood is part of Johnstown's identity. We're the city of survivors, said Richard Burkert, president and CEO of the JAHA.
It's a project aimed at renovating the century-old building the Johnstown Flood Museum calls home, not only improving the HVAC system, current lighting, windows and doors, but updating and expanding current exhibits to make them more modern and functional.
There's new research, there's new stories to tell, there's new artifacts and certainly new interactive digital technology, Burkert said.
But with the project comes cost and a price tag of $3.45 million. But project leaders are already on their way with $750,000 committed through the R.K. Mellon Foundation in Pittsburgh and another local donation of $25,000 to begin construction.
It's part of American history that really needs (to be) preserved, said Harry Bennear.
Bennear is the president of Dale Oxygen, a family business soon to celebrate its 75th anniversary. In honor of the milestone and the 125th anniversary of the Johnstown Flood, Bennear said his family felt it was time to give back to the area that helped them thrive.
It is such a treasure and for the younger generations that may not know about the '89 flood and people from outside where they may come from to learn about it, Bennear said.
It's one of these stories that fascinates, Burkert said. Each generation finds new meaning in the Johnstown flood. There's been continuing research on this story.
Construction is expected to begin next year with the hope of completion by summer of 2016 if the campaign can reach its goal.
We need the community's support if this is going to happen, Burkert said.
It's not only the business leaders, also individuals, whatever they can do will help, Bennear said.
Guess What I Found- Episode 2 Season 2 South Fork Dam
Brian travels to South Fork, Pennsylvania to look at the cause of the 1889 Johnstown Flood
Vintage Scenes of The Johnstown, PA Flood 1889
Images from the Great Flood of 1889 in Johnstown, PA from old postcards and photos.
The Johnstown Flood: A Most Avoidable Tragedy - Centennial Episode 13
The Johnstown Flood occurred on May 31, 1889, after the failure of the South Fork Dam, which is located on the south fork of the Little Conemaugh River, 14 miles upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The dam, constructed to provide a recreational resource in part to support The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, broke after several days of extremely heavy rainfall that liquified the dam and blew out the earthen structure, resulting in a torrent of water that killed some 2,200 people.
In this episode of Third Pod from the Sun, Neil Coleman, a professional geologist who resides just outside of Johnstown and teaches geophysics part time at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, describes how a confluence of greed, poor engineering decisions, and hydrology led to one of the most catastrophic disasters in American history.
Coleman also delves into the formal investigation of the event by American Society of Civil Engineers that was subsequently buried, the cast of characters – including the leading steel and rail industrialists of the era – who were involved, the lack of accountability for the victims – save for a re-coop on the loss of a few barrels of whiskey, and the impact on the region that echoes to this day. He also provides insight into how the flood serves as a case study for current day hydrologists and engineers hoping to prevent, respond to, and investigate current and future flooding events.
1889 Johnstown Flood Memorial Park
This is the 1889 Johnstown Flood Memorial Park. A Very Nice place to visit and great for walking.
Johnstown flood visual demonstration
The Johnstown Flood Museum has a demonstration of how the waters of the Little Connemaugh River rushed downstream after the collapse of the South Fork Dam.