Johnstown Flood Museum temporarily closed; Heritage Discovery Center/Johnstown Children's Museum closed 6/22-6/25

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!

BOO! Johnstown Children’s Museum to host revamped Halloween events!

Posted: October 17, 2018 1:06 pm

Johnstown Children’s Museum staff are busy preparing for one of the best kid holidays of the year — Halloween! We’re looking forward to:

Friday, October 26, 6:00-8:00 pm: A Halloween Night at the Museum: Kids are invited for safe trick-or-treating through the museum, including candy and games in the Children’s Museum! We’ll show the movie Ferdinand in the Iron & Steel Theater, with popcorn of course!

The evening will feature:

A spooky pumpkin patch
A creepy zombie deli
Fortune telling
Spooky Silly Games
A mortician with his coffin
And of course, lots of candy!

JAHA thanks Corporate Security for sponsoring this event! We also extend thanks to John Ridella, DMD; Dr. Lynn Johnston; Stuver’s Riverside Nursery; Young Heart Books & Toys; and Macaroni Kid Johnstown/Laurel Highlands/Altoona.

Admission is $3 for adults; kids 3-18 are $5; JAHA members just $2.

Sunday, October 28, 12:30 pm: Spooky Science with Dr. Matt: Join Dr. Matt of UPJ as we explore scientific principles like static electricity and density while using candy and Halloween characters—you might even see a volcano blow! We invite you to wear your Halloween costume and get into the spooky spirit!

$3 with museum admission; $5 without museum admission; $3 for members.

We are Heritage Johnstown!

After months of thought, deliberation and planning, the Johnstown Area Heritage Association (JAHA) is thrilled to be entering a new year with a new name -- Heritage Johnstown -- as our Annual Fund drive kicks off. Visit our latest blog post for more about this change, our recent accomplishments, and goals for 2025.