Due to the dangerous heat wave hitting our area and a delicate HVAC system, we must CLOSE the Heritage Discovery Center/Johnstown Children’s Museum today (Sunday, June 22) through Wednesday. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this problem in the short- and long-term.

 

**

Due to an interior water leak on 1/23/25 caused by extreme cold, the Johnstown Flood Museum ONLY is temporarily closed. Thankfully, nothing of historic significance was affected. The water remediation team concluded their work, which leaves repainting, floor refinishing, and replacement of carpet and soundproofing materials. We are currently waiting for insurance adjustors and approval of quotes, 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!

News & Stories

The Latest From JAHA

JAHA is delighted to announce a full slate of walking tours exploring the history of the 1889 flood in Johnstown! All tours are conducted by Nick Wukovich, who has studied the disaster extensively through first-person accounts of survivors. He’ll point …

Read More

Recently the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau came to the Heritage Discovery Center to see the current temporary exhibition, Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race, which is on loan from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum through April 27. They interviewed …

Read More

Members of the Johnstown Area Heritage Association, producers of the festival, get a special benefit — they can buy 2-day VIP (Oilhouse) passes to the AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival at the same price as a regular 2-day pass ! …

Read More

Great things are happening on the third floor of the Heritage Discovery Center in the Johnstown Children’s Museum! Many of our visitors may have noticed changes as we work to provide even more fun and engaging museum and play experiences …

Read More

Today the AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival announced its four top acts for the August 2-3 festival: Gin Blossoms (pictured), Cowboy Mouth, Ghost Light, and Brownout presents Brown Sabbath.

Visit the music fest website

The remaining acts will be …

Read More

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s traveling exhibition Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race is coming to the Heritage Discovery Center. The exhibition examines how the Nazi leadership, in collaboration with individuals in professions traditionally charged with healing and the public …

Read More

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) recently approved a Pitt-Johnstown grant application to support the digitization and dissemination of a large collection of archival materials from the Johnstown Area Heritage Association (JAHA). The material consists of photographs, handwritten documents, …

Read More

Recently, ninth graders at Forest Hills High School embarked on an ambitious project to tell the story of the 1977 Johnstown Flood. Under the direction of English Language Arts teacher Dr. Aspen Mock, students combined interviews with flood survivors and …

Read More
January 25, 2019 3:55 pm

JAHA seeks oral histories of the 1960s

2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Music & Art Festival. As we commemorate this historic event and reflect on the 1960s, we want to know what you remember! We will be recording oral histories of the 1960s at …

Read More

JAHA is planning a new temporary exhibit, “Johnstown: The Way We Work,” and is seeking public input at a workshop scheduled for Thurs., Jan. 24 at 7:00 pm at the Heritage Discovery Center.

“Johnstown’s work heritage is a significant part of …

Read More