Johnstown Flood National Memorial

Effective December 12, 2020 The National Park Service is working with federal, state, and local public health officials to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on guidance from state and local public health authorities, and in cooperation with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Visitor Center will be temporarily closed beginning Saturday, December 12, 2020, until further notice.... Weather permitting, all trails and grounds will remain open daily from sunrise to sunset. Status and conditions are updated at: https://www.nps.gov/jofl/planyourvisit/conditions.htm (dkb)

There are many overlapping connections between Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site and Johnstown Flood National Memorial. Another one of these overlapping connections is the Conemaugh Viaduct, found in the Horseshoe Bend of the Little Conemaugh River, in between South Fork and Johnstown. The Conemaugh Viaduct had a span of eighty feet and a rise of over seventy feet, was originally built by the State of Pennsylvania in the early 1830s for use on the Allegheny P...ortage Railroad, a part of the Pennsylvania Main Line of Public Works. Once the Pennsylvania Railroad Company purchased the Main Line of Public Works in 1857, the Conemaugh Viaduct was incorporated into the rail system of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. The connection with Johnstown Flood National Memorial is that the Conemaugh Viaduct was destroyed by the raging floodwaters. Recognizing the vital role that the railroad would play in supplying the relief efforts in the Johnstown Flood, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company quickly built a temporary wooden trestle bridge in just five days after the flood, and soon after built a new stone viaduct that is still in use today. (SJL)

There are many overlapping connections between Johnstown Flood National Memorial and Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site. One of these overlapping connections is the South Fork Dam. Originally known as the Western Reservoir, it was built by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania between 1838-1853, for use as a reservoir to help maintain the water levels of the Canal system of the Main Line of Public Works, which connected Pittsburgh with Philadelphia. The South Fork ...Dam, as we call it today, is most famous for being the dam that failed on May 31st, 1889. This failure was the cause of the Johnstown Flood. When the Pennsylvania Railroad Company purchased the Main Line of Public Works in 1857, the South Fork Dam was included in the sale. The Pennsylvania Railroad Company sold the South Fork Dam to Congressman John Reilly, who then sold it to Benjamin Ruff, who rebuilt the South Fork Dam for use as a lake resort for the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, and was used by the club from 1881 to 1889, when the Flood occurred. (SJL)

When you come to the Johnstown Flood Visitor Center, you will see many exhibits and artifacts from the time of the Johnstown Flood. The centerpiece of the Visitor Center is the model of the debris field seemingly crashing through the wall of the Visitor Center, with a teenager holding on for dear life on the side of the model. That teenager is Victor Heiser, a survivor of the Johnstown Flood. Victor Heiser was 16 when the flood occurred. He recounted his experiences in surviv...ing the Johnstown Flood in an interview that he gave to David McCullough in 1965. A portion of the interview can be heard at the Johnstown Flood Visitor Center. After the Johnstown Flood, Victor Heiser left Johnstown, and became a public health doctor, working in different parts of the world to eradicate smallpox, cholera, leprosy and other diseases. Victor Heiser lived to be 99 years old and is buried with his family in the Grandview Cemetery, where many other Johnstown Flood victims and survivors are buried, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. (SJL) See more

The days may be getting colder and shorter, but there is no shortage of winter activities in national parks! Please visit the link below to find events near you! https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/holiday-happenings.htm (es)

News Release The National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) is onsite at the Double Cottage at Johnstown Flood National Memorial. They are removing the vinyl siding and any other layers to determine the condition of the original siding. HPTC will order any replacement pieces and determine the original siding color. The Double Cottage will be wrapped for its protection over the winter. In early summer 2021, HPTC will replace and repair the original sidi...ng, replicate the window and door trim and paint the building. The work could continue into the fall. (es) To read the entire news release: https://www.nps.gov//siding-replacement-at-the-double-cott

Winter Hours of Operation Beginning January 1, 2021 to March 31, 2021 the Visitor Center will be closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The Visitor Center will be open Fridays through Tuesdays from 9 AM- 5 PM. Daily hours of operation will resume on April 1, 2021!... Park grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset all year! (es)