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

Category Archive: Heritage Johnstown at Home

By David G. Glosser, who along with his family has donated a historic cash register from Glosser Bros. to JAHA (as seen in above photo by Makenzie Croyle: retired JAHA President Richard Burkert, Stephanie and David G. Glosser, JAHA Curator …

Read More

by Nicholas Lasinsky, guest contributor. Nicholas Lasinsky is a historian born and raised in Cambria County with a passion for local stories. Currently enrolled at Simmons University in Boston, he hopes to become an archivist and published author. He is …

Read More

The anniversary of the Johnstown flood is coming up, and JAHA and the National Park Service are planning commemorative events, including an Interpreted Tour of the Johnstown Flood. One of the characters depicted in that tour …

Read More

Were you a steelworker? Do you or someone you love have a story about working in the steel mills of Johnstown? JAHA wants to hear it!

The momentous new exhibition “Forging a Nation: Johnstown Iron & Steel” is now open at …

Read More

On September 7, 2023, a capacity crowd gathered at the Heritage Discovery Center to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Rosedale incident, in which Johnstown’s mayor ordered all Black people who hadn’t lived in Johnstown for at least seven years …

Read More

This column by Chip Minemyer appeared in the September 24, 2023 edition of The Tribune-Democrat and is reproduced here with permission.

In April 1991, just two years after the Johnstown flood centennial and 12 years into Richard Burkert’s time in Johnstown, …

Read More

In an address to Wesleyan University’s graduating class of 1984, beloved historian, writer, and Pittsburgh native David McCullough reminded the graduates that “history is a guide to navigating perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the …

Read More

UPDATE: As of Nov. 4, 2022, we are halfway to our goal of $30,000! Please consider a generous donation today.

The Stone Bridge lights are now fully repaired and shining brightly for three hours every evening, and the Stone Bridge Project …

Read More
August 10, 2022 1:58 pm

Remembering David McCullough

by Richard Burkert, JAHA president and CEO

I note with sadness the recent passing of David McCullough, whose book and career have greatly influenced the Johnstown community, my career and life.

Before I interviewed for the position of executive director of the …

Read More

by Yamila Audisio, Curatorial Assistant

“For most of history, Anonymous was a woman,” Virginia Woolf once wrote. This is especially true in the 19th century when written history only portrayed upper-class men. Johnstown’s history is no exception. This was the case …

Read More