Johnstown Flood National Memorial

Within a half hour of the Allegheny site is the memorial for the Johnstown Flood, which occurred in 1889. I could not think of another park that commemorates a disaster like this, though I could think of many that may be in the future, like Hurricane Katrina. Katrina wasn't once mentioned, but you could feel the parallels.

Outside of a war, never had America seen a day like May 31, 1889, when over 2,000 people died as a result of flooding from a burst dam in central Pennsylvania. The disaster had class-based implications, as the dam created a reservoir which wealthy folks used for the fishing and pleasure boating club. The victims were overwhelmingly working class people who worked at the town's many factories. Johnstown is in a bowl, which is still plainly evident today.

By all accounts, the dam was well made in its time, but the club used various gates to prevent their imported fish from leaving through the spillway. They also plugged the pipes at the bottom which could've been used to control the water levels. Sure enough, the inevitable happened -- a massive rainstorm that lasted for a day in the wake of a wet spring with high snow run-off.

The water topped the dam (which the Club had lowered 3 feet to allow for easier access across it!), and with earthen dams, that's bad, bad news. The water began to wear away the sagging middle of the dam, causing more water to flow over, causing more erosion. A catastrophic failure ensued.

Telegraph operators attempted to warn the towns downstream, but few heeded the call. a 40-foot tidal wave roared down the narrow valley, sweeping away rail cars, a bridge, and entire homes. Johnstown was 10 miles away (!!), but it still got thrashed.

The visitor center is by the dam, which was never rebuilt. The house for the dam maintainer also stands -- he apparently tried valiently to shore up the dam, but it didn't work. The movie is vivid, piecing together various early Hollywood silent films about the disaster, spliced with period photographs and scenes from the local graveyard.

Visitor's Ratings (out of 5)
Significance: 3 -- important as representative of both one incredible disaster and many others made worse by man's action
Beauty: 3 -- heart of the Allegheny's
Fun: 1 -- Like a battlefield park, it's not designed for that, and you can't even really hike
Overall: 3

Accessibility: fairly remote -- an hour off the PA turnpike, a few hours from DC, Baltimore
Logistics/signs: 4 -- excellent movie, helpful rangers, lots of signs
Time required: 60 minutes for the movie and time to explore the dam. The city itself is not part of the park, and they have more exhibits there
Time to visit: almost anytime it's not snowy
Kid friendliness: pretty low as the main attraction, the movie, is only appropriate for older children. No place to play.