In Johnstown, PA, we have seen that many ethnic groups have settled here looking for work in the coal mines and steel mills.
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| A visit to the Heritage Discovery Center (2001), located in a 1907 building constructed for the Germania Brewery |
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| The exhibit "America: Through Immigrant Eyes" started with information about the Old Country, then we entered Ellis Island through customs |
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| We had our passes that we placed in a slot, and "interacted" with the customs official; the official hoped I was truly here to get married |
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| The official did not like the Polish, but allowed Kent/Stefan to enter as he had no diseases |
We walked through the "1907 Neighborhood."
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| Stefan's Monthly Budget |
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| Both of us were refused work in the coal mines (they had a couple displays with the projected video heads/faces) |
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| One local immigrant, Sergeant Michael Strank, was one of the Marines in the photograph of the raising of the US flag on Iwo Jima |
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| View of the Cambria City neighborhood |
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| Bunny Bread logo, of the Harris-Boyer Bakery |
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| National Radiator Company |
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| Cut glass "Pond Lily" design was patented by a local master cutter, William Allen |
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| A phonograph with lamp by the Modernola Talking Machine Company |
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| Wire steel products that use wire from Johnstown Wire Technologies, the largest producer of value-added carbon and alloy wire in North America |
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| Horn buttons |
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| "The Steelworkers' Story" displayed artifacts from different divisions and listed the donors' names and time of service in the steel industry |
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| The channeled Little Conemaugh River and the Johnstown Inclined Plane (1891) track on the hillside |
Next to the Johnstown Flood Museum, which along with the Heritage Discovery Center, has reciprocity with Tyler Arboretum.
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| Johnstown Flood Museum (1989) is located in the former Cambria Public Library (1890-1891, by Addison Hutton in French Gothic Revival style, paid for by Andrew Carnegie, making it one of the first Carnegie libraries in the country) |
A 35-40' wave of water rushed down the narrow valley, picking up debris so that it was more solid than water. The wall of water was momentarily stopped by a stone railroad bridge, but that collapsed and added to the debris being carried to Johnstown. The force of the wave swept along buildings, trees, and even train locomotives. Bodies were found as far away as Cincinnati, OH, and as late as 1911.
After flood waters traveling at 40 miles per hour made a clean sweep of parts of the city of Johnstown, fires broke out causing more deaths.
The surviving citizens cleaned up the debris and decided to rebuild. The steel mills resumed operation. The relief effort was supported by donations from around the world. It was here where the American Red Cross, under Clara Barton, had its first major peacetime project, and Barton remained in Johnstown for nearly five months.
We drove over to the Johnstown Flood National Memorial Visitor Center perched on a hilltop overlooking the site of the South Fork Dam. The earthenwork dam was built 1838-1853 as a reservoir for the canal basin in Johnstown. It was abandoned when the canals were no longer used. In 1880 land including the dam and lake was purchased by the newly organized South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club to establish a summer retreat for wealthy Pittsburgh entrepreneurs, including Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon. When leaks developed in the dam, they were patched with straw and mud.
After flood waters traveling at 40 miles per hour made a clean sweep of parts of the city of Johnstown, fires broke out causing more deaths.
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| Bridge railing |
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| Bottle of flood water collected by a tourist; 750 out of 2,209 flood victims were never identified and could have been people on sightseeing excursions |
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| The Stone Bridge (1887-1888, for the Pennsylvania Railroad) survived the Flood of 1889 and in fact blocked much of the debris from continuing down the Conemaugh River, resulting in less damage downstream |
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| The Johnstown "thing to do" is to eat at Coney Island Lunch (1916); also note the campanile (1895) of St John Gualbert Cathedral inspired by the St Mark's Basilica campanile in Venice, Italy |
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| This is a classic Coney Island hot dog with its Greek chili-like savory meat sauce, mustard, and onions (shredded cheese also an option) |
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| This is a foot-long Homewrecker Coney Island hot dog additionally with 3 slices of cheese, nacho cheese and a topping of choice from American mac 'n' cheese, Pittsburgh coleslaw, German sauerkraut, or Boston baked beans (seen here) |
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| Self-serve water spigot at the end of the counter |
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| Diorama illustration of a flood survivor's story heard through speakers |
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| Bell from the Mineral Point United Methodist Church; when the 1889 flood waters swept through Mineral Point, the bell tolled as the church was rocked from its foundation, and was later found eight miles away |
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| A view down to the Little Conemaugh River and the remains of the South Fork dam, marked by the taller evergreen trees toward the center and right in the photo |
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| The former spillway should have relieved the amount of water pressing against the dam, but the mouth became jammed with debris because of screens installed to keep fish in the lake |
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| A view upstream from the former dam at what was once seven-mile long Lake Conemaugh, |
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| Looking across the valley where the viewing platform marks to other end of the earthenworks dam |
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| A view downstream as the Little Conemaugh River heads to Johnstown |
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| Looking back at the National Memorial Visitor Center and the house of the last club president, Colonel Elias Unger |
