Due to an interior water leak on 1/23/25 caused by the recent extreme cold, the Johnstown Flood Museum ONLY is temporarily closed. Thankfully, nothing of historic significance was affected. As of 2/4, the water remediation team has concluded their work, which leaves repainting, floor refinishing, and replacement of carpet and soundproofing materials. We are currently waiting for insurance adjustors, a process we cannot control. In the meantime, we apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we work to remediate and repair our beloved flagship museum.

In the meantime, we are pleased to present Relic Tales of the Johnstown Floods at the Heritage Discovery Center, which is unaffected and operating normal business hours. This new temporary exhibition includes more than 200 artifacts and photographs, many of which have never been on display before, from the Johnstown flood of 1889 (as well as 1936 and 1977).  Welcome!

1889 flood walking tours scheduled for spring

1889 flood walking tours scheduled for spring

Posted: April 21, 2021 2:59 pm

We are excited to announce spring walking tours exploring the history of the 1889 flood! After a year of cancellations and a few virtual events, it’s nice to see in-person events start to come back to our calendar.

There will be two versions of the tours – one covering the downtown, or “uptown,” area, and one covering “lower town,” which is the area from Walnut Street to the Stone Bridge.

JAHA volunteer Nick Wuckovich will conduct the tours, discussing Flood-surviving building and historical areas, sharing photographs, and telling stories. Wuckovich retired as an Assistant Chief of the Johnstown Fire Department. He also served as the Cambria County Executive Director of Emergency Management and 9-1-1.

Over the last few years, Wuckovich has taken a deep dive into the first-person accounts of the Flood. One of the most important aspects of his work has been compiling photographs of victims and survivors, and pairing them with views of corresponding homes or businesses. Coupled with a guided view of the actual 1889-surviving buildings in downtown Johnstown, these photographs provide museum patrons with an in-depth understanding of the flood as experienced by ordinary people.

The “lower town” tours focus on the area from Walnut Street to the Stone Bridge, and will give information about prominent buildings in that area of town, as well as citizens who were there when the disaster struck.

Walking tours will begin at the Johnstown Flood Museum and are $6, or $4 for JAHA members or with museum admission.

The complete schedule for spring walking tours is as follows:

  • May 1, uptown, 10:30 am
  • May 7, lower town, 11:00 am
  • May 8, uptown, 10:30 am
  • May 13, lower town, 11:00 am
  • May 15, uptown, 10:30 am
  • May 16, uptown, 12:30 pm
  • May 21, lower town, 11:00 am
  • June 3, uptown, 11:00 am
  • June 5, lower town, 10:30 am
  • June 6, uptown, 1:00 pm