What Is Johnstown Flood National Memorial?
Johnstown Flood National Memorial preserves the floodpath of one of the worst dam failures in American history!
What Makes It Historical?
In 1840, construction began to create a dam on the Conemaugh River that would feed into the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal, which connected Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Built from piled earth, this South Fork Dam created the largest artificial lake of its time, known as Lake Conemaugh. On its own, the dam’s design could have worked just fine, but construction was on and off over ten years, which left some serious weaknesses in the structure!
The dam was completed in 1851, just in time for the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal to go out of business! It failed once in 1847 and again in 1862 without major damage, but after the canal closed, maintenance of the dam fell to whomever would buy it. That was Congressman John Reilly in 1875, who removed five sluice pipes from the dam, making it harder for excess water to drain. Four years later, he sold it to the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club of Pittsburgh for use as a fishing lake. They lowered the dam to make it wider for carriages and never patched the existing damage!
So, on May 31, 1889, a heavy rainstorm pushed the lake’s level up over the lowered spillway. The rushing water over the top eroded the dam away, unleashing 3.6 billion gallons of water upon the downstream steel city of Johnstown! The flood destroyed 1,606 homes and killed 2,209 people! At the time, this was the largest loss of life from a single event in US History and brought aid from multiple countries and the Red Cross, led by Clara Barton.
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer at Johnstown Flood National Memorial!
- Donate to Johnstown Flood National Memorial!
- Be a responsible visitor! Remember the old adages: Pack out what you pack in! Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints!
How Do I Get There?
733 Lake Road
South Fork, PA 15956
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit the Park?
The Lake View Visitor Center is open daily from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM, but you can visit the ruined dam and overlooks whenever you like!
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