Bump disclaimer Recently I picked up a copy of The Johnstown Flood, by David McCullough. It's a completely engrossing read, and it motivated me to revisit my Johnstown photos from 2006. I ended up redoing the post-processing on them, taking advantage of some things I've learned since 2006. The original 3-parter is broken, mangled, and partly missing, so I thought I'd resurrect the whole thing as one great big thread. Enjoy.

 

My maternal grandmother used to tell of being sent to Johnstown as a young girl, on the train, to help an aunt who lived through the 1889 flood. I don't remember many of the details, and I was too much a scatter-brained teenager to take a serious interest and ask questions at the time. I Googled her family name and Johnstown, and came up with some leads that may be interesting to pursue.

 

Despite marginal weather, and possible snow in the forecast, I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the city with my camera and felt like I only scratched the surface in nearly two days of walking around. I definitely hope to return in warmer weather, after doing some more research and with a good map.

 

All photos Copyright © 2006-2010 by Robert E. Pence

 

From the posting on my web site I received many thoughtful and informative emails from Johnstown residents and expatriates, and where appropriate, I've annotated some of the photos with information they provided.

 

Coming into Johnstown from Indiana on Pennsylvania 56, there's a good overlook.

 

Site visitor Paul wrote, "...  when you entered from Indiana, PA, the first pics you have up is of the Conemaugh Gap.  It is the second deepest natural gorge East of the Mississippi River."

 

 

 

 

It seemed to me that starting about at Indiana, drivers were much more aggressive than I had experienced earlier in my trip. Everyone drove like they thought the two pedals, accelerator and brake, were to be jammed hard to the floor every time they were used. Even on side streets, they go as fast as they can until something gets in their way. I will acknowledge that they unfailingly yeild to pedestrians in zebra walks.

 

Not long after leaving Indiana, my impression was confirmed by a yellow diamond-shaped DOT sign warning, "Beware Aggressive Drivers." Apparently there's no hope of reforming them, so they just warn the unwary to watch out.

 

 

As I entered Johnstown through the West End, my attention was immediately caught by the imposing landmark churches. Given that they're still in use and apparently well-maintained, it's evident that they're still important focal points for the Slavic community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abandoned and underutilized industrial grit is pervasive in Johnstown.

 

 

 

 

I had to have a photo of this van, just because it's a splash of color on a dreary, soggy day.

 

 

 

 

 

Saint Mary's Greek Catholic Church, I think. The form of the Cyrillic script is somewhat unfamiliar to me, though. Perhaps it's an archaic form of Russian or Ukrainian?

 

Site visitor Ed writes, "... It is Pod Carpatska Rus (Sub Carpathian Rus) or in Latin --- Ruthenian. It was a League of Nations protectorate (Ruthenia) administered by Czechoslovakia btwn. WWI and WWII. It was taken over by Stalin in 1939 and absorbed in to Ukraine and the Greek Catholic Church (today Byzantine Catholic) was taken into the Orthodox Church. They vehemently claim they are Rusyn/Rusin. They are what is called "Little Rus" --- not Russian or Ukrainian."

 

Site visitor Stan writes, "That picture from the church is Cyrillic, it's just the form of it used before the orthographic reforms of 1917.  The weird b looking symbol after the large 'deh' (second to last word on the bottom there), is yat, which is simply modern Russian ye. The diaresis over the M at the end of the last word on the top is odd, but as far as I know is simply an old mark used before the reform.  I thought at first it was Church Slavonic, but it wouldn't make sense for them to use only one letter, so it's just a diacritic."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Johnstown Inclined Plane is a must-see attraction. Completed in 1891, it is the world's steepest vehicular inclined plane. On more than one occasion, it has served a vital function in flood rescue operations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The two cars run in opposition to each other, one descending while the other ascends, to counterbalance the weight handled by the hoisting machinery.

 

 

The observation platform and visitors' center offer a comprehensive overview of the city.

 

The notch straight ahead is the path by which the 1889 floodwaters came roaring down upon the city, a wall of water 35 feet high, laden with trees, wrecked buildings and debris, moving at 40 miles per hour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Johnstown's handsome Pennsylvania Railroad Station is now used by Amtrak. The main waiting room was locked, and looks as though it might be set up now for use as a reception hall or other private facility. The station was clean and in fairly good condition as small-city Amtrak facilities go. Amtrak's westbound Pennsylvanian was due in a few minutes when I was there, so I waited around until about a half hour after train time in hopes of getting a photo. After I gave up and walked back downtown, I heard a deep rumble that sounded like Amtrak Genesis locomotives. I couldn't see from where I was.

 

 

I haven't been able to determine who the architect was for this station. William L. Price and his firm, Price-McLanahan, created most of the PRR stations from Pittsburgh to Chicago, and in some respects this reminds me of Fort Wayne's 1914 PRR station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There seemed to be quite a lot of freight traffic on the line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trouble started here, where torrential rains and a clogged spillway caused Lake Conemaugh to overtop a rock- and earth-fill dam. The seventy-two foot high dam failed rapidly, releasing the entire contents of two and a half mile-long Lake Conemaugh into the Little Conemaugh River and sending it hurtling toward Johnstown sweeping trees, houses and bridges before it.

 

A previous dam built at this location provided feedwater for the Pennsylvania Canal. The canal lapsed into disuse after the completion of the railroad through Horseshoe Curve, near Altoona. The old dam failed some years later, and was rebuilt without the discharge pipes at the bottom that had been used to regulate water levels in the reservoir, to create a private hunting and fishing club for an enclave of Pennsylvania's wealthiest industrial moguls. The top was later lowered three feet to provide a carriage road. So far as anyone was able to determine, all the work was done without the involvement of any engineers with professional expertise in dam construction and upkeep.

 

The three following photos show the breach that caused the 1889 flood.

 

 

 

 

A metal grate attached to the original bridge across the spillway was intended to prevent the club's stocked fish from escaping downriver through the spillway. Upstream flooding caused by torrential rains carried trees, and other floating debris clogged the grate and spillway, sending water over the top of the dam.

 

 

The spillway was cut through solid rock so that it wouldn't be subject to erosion.

 

 

Lake Conemaugh filled the valley up to near the tree line on the opposite side, and extended for two and a half miles from this point.

 

 

 

The National Flood Memorial, operated by the National Park Service, includes the home of the man who was president of the South Fork Hunting & Fishing Club.

 

A visit to the Memorial is a moving experience. The historic photographs and the very good professionally-produced film gave me a better comprehension than I had previously of the real horror of the events of that day.

 

 

 

The visitors' center is patterned after the barn that once accompanied the house but that collapsed years ago.

 

 

Back to downtown: these photos were taken on Saturday, and there wasn't much activity.

 

Site visitor Ed wrote on May 8, 2007, "Only bldg. standing in this area now. It has finally been decided to demolish it."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still occupied, despite the fact that part of the roof has collapsed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note the date. It's a flood survivor.

 

 

Much of downtown's retail, like the industries that supported it, is in pretty rough shape. On the other hand, there's some impressive new construction taking place and the town overall is clean and orderly. For an old industrial city on hard times, there's very little tagging and vandalism evident downtown.

 

 

 

 

Historic Central Park

 

 

 

 

When the flood came, Alma Hall was the Odd Fellows' new building and the tallest building in Johnstown. More than two hundred people, cold and wet and some severely injured, took refuge there and survived the flood. The rushing wall of debris on the leading edge of the flood surge uprooted many buildings and crushed others, and some knowledgeable people among those sheltered at Alma Hall thought the building surely could not survive. Most of those sheltered there thought it was only a matter of minutes or seconds until they would die.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saint John Gaulbert is the Cathedral for the Johnstown/Altoona Diocese.

 

Site visitor Ed wrote, "The Altoona-Johnstown Diocese has two cathedrals. The main cathedral is in Altoona and it dwarfs this one."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Site visitor Patrick says, "... visit that Szechuan Restaurant for dinner.  Order the Shrimp and Chicken Hunan style.  I'm telling you, it's on the buffet in Heaven!"

 

 

 

 

This wasn't always a Ford dealership.

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Bye from fascinating Johnstown! I really want to go back.

 

An awesome bump!

Yes, very awesome. I was looking at this gallery on your site not too long ago. Great tour. I'm going to have to add Johnstown to the itinerary during my next Altoona visit.

 

Oh, and those stupid PennDOT "advisory" sings are all over PA.  PennDot must be getting some kind of money to have those signs installed because they are usually placed in a set of three in highly travelled areas.

I'm gonna post this before even getting all the way through the thread. Just a thumbs-up, really. This is great! Pennsylvania has some of the most fascinating towns around.

I agree these are excellent pix.  The place has sort of a bittersweet feel to it, from my impression from the pix.  Yet somehow comfortable.  I'd wonder what it would be like to live there?

 

The place also looks like its in pretty good condition, more-or-less (particularly the neighborhood shots), but too bad about that building directly on the river, with the caved in roof or collapsed cornice.

 

Site visitor Ed writes, "... It is Pod Carpatska Rus (Sub Carpathian Rus) or in Latin --- Ruthenian. It was a League of Nations protectorate (Ruthenia) administered by Czechoslovakia btwn. WWI and WWII. It was taken over by Stalin in 1939 and absorbed in to Ukraine and the Greek Catholic Church (today Byzantine Catholic) was taken into the Orthodox Church. They vehemently claim they are Rusyn/Rusin. They are what is called "Little Rus" --- not Russian or Ukrainian."

 

The most famous American of Captho-Rus ancestry is Andy Warhola, AKA Warhol.  Apparently this immigrant group came to Johnstown as well as Pittsburgh.

 

 

 

 

You do get the impression that this is one of the undiscovered urban gems of America.

The place looks the same as when we left it in the 60s!  Untouched by time.  We loved it as kids, but my parents hated living there, especially my mom.  The winters are especially brutal with the snow in hills and the wind in the valleys. 

 

I have never been back since leaving, but have often been back to Pittsburgh.  Sixty miles east, and 600 years back in time.  (A quote we often heard when living there). 

 

My memories are that it was certainly the oddest place I have ever lived, bar none.  Insular and very mistrusting of anyone from outside the area, it was losing population rapidly even back then.  But, I still think it is beautiful, especially in the fall.

Thanks for this great thread. I love the feeling of fall in these photos.  Beautiful churches too.

I'm gonna post this before even getting all the way through the thread. Just a thumbs-up, really. This is great! Pennsylvania has some of the most fascinating towns around.

Thanks! I've often thought that if I had to pick one state where I could live without ever leaving, Pennsylvania might be at the top of the list among the ones I've seen. It has a mix of dense and diverse urban metros, small cities, historic villages, excellent national park sites (i.e. Gettysburg, Allegheny Portage, ...), and splendid countryside with orchards in bloom in Spring. If you're so inclined, stop by my site and scroll down to the Pennsylvania section. There's a sampling of my wandering the state, with lots more still to be scanned.

 

I agree these are excellent pix.  The place has sort of a bittersweet feel to it, from my impression from the pix.  Yet somehow comfortable.  I'd wonder what it would be like to live there?

 

The place also looks like its in pretty good condition, more-or-less (particularly the neighborhood shots), but too bad about that building directly on the river, with the caved in roof or collapsed cornice.

 

Site visitor Ed writes, "... It is Pod Carpatska Rus (Sub Carpathian Rus) or in Latin --- Ruthenian. It was a League of Nations protectorate (Ruthenia) administered by Czechoslovakia btwn. WWI and WWII. It was taken over by Stalin in 1939 and absorbed in to Ukraine and the Greek Catholic Church (today Byzantine Catholic) was taken into the Orthodox Church. They vehemently claim they are Rusyn/Rusin. They are what is called "Little Rus" --- not Russian or Ukrainian."

 

The most famous American of Captho-Rus ancestry is Andy Warhola, AKA Warhol.  Apparently this immigrant group came to Johnstown as well as Pittsburgh.

The iron industry and its associated coal mining attracted a lot of Eastern/Southern European workers. I believe Johnstown's iron works predated the Carnegie and Frick enterprises, and those two entrepreneurs to some extent seeded their fledgling Pittsburgh-area operations with experienced workers recruited from Johnstown.

 

The place looks the same as when we left it in the 60s!  Untouched by time.  We loved it as kids, but my parents hated living there, especially my mom.  The winters are especially brutal with the snow in hills and the wind in the valleys. 

 

I have never been back since leaving, but have often been back to Pittsburgh.  Sixty miles east, and 600 years back in time.  (A quote we often heard when living there). 

 

My memories are that it was certainly the oddest place I have ever lived, bar none.  Insular and very mistrusting of anyone from outside the area, it was losing population rapidly even back then.  But, I still think it is beautiful, especially in the fall.

I've only seen Johnstown in snow from train windows, passing through. It looks lovely that way, but I'll bet it's no fun trying to navigate those hills in a car at that time of year.

 

Maybe I was regarded differently as an old guy than I would have been as a youngster, but I found most people in Johnstown friendly and hospitable. I can't think of a single unpleasant or uncomfortable interaction with anyone while I was there.

 

Thanks for this great thread. I love the feeling of fall in these photos.  Beautiful churches too.

I think the churches are a fundamental part of the European heritage of the early settlers. Each successive generation finds more diversions, though, and participation declines steadily. Last year the Diocese of Johnstown-Altoona announced the consolidation of Cambria City's five parishes into one. I read one statistic that said Cambria City had lost ninety percent of its former 11,000 population as the mills shut down.

 

Great thread. Reminds me a lot of towns I know in Upstate NY (read: Gloversville / Johnstown, Utica, Herkimer, etc.) towns where at one time there was one (or more) industry(ies) that catapulted the town's population, then the industry left, but the town remains. Even where I grew up, in Kingston, has something of that feel, although because of it's relative proximity to NYC, it has it's fair share of commuters, so the feel isn't as isolated as more upstate.

 

For the most part, though, these towns have solid buildings, and people to match. They're survivors, determined to stay where they are.