Heritage Johnstown main website

Education Materials

Student Resources

A Community Decision and a Personal Decision

The Great Johnstown (PA) Flood of 1889, the result of a record-setting rainstorm speeding the failure of an earthen dam, was the top media story of its day. The catastrophe killed over 2,200 people and left many more thousands homeless.

Even though their hometowns were nearly wiped off the map, the survivors of the Great Johnstown (PA) Flood of 1889 almost immediately began rebuilding their homes and businesses. It is a wonder that everyone didn’t abandon the ravaged Conemaugh Valley! The enormity of personal and financial loss makes rebuilding even more unimaginable.

Rebuilding destroyed towns happened in stages and took several years:

  1. Rescue of survivors immediately after the Flood;
  2. Recovery of victims’ bodies and clearing debris;
  3. Relief efforts fueled by an huge out-pouring of public charity, including the Red Cross’ first disaster relief effort;
  4. Rebuilding the communities, politically and physically.
  5. Remembering those lost and the lessons learned.

The decision whether to rebuild or move on was a personal, as well as a community, decision. Many residents, who lost every family and physical tie to Johnstown, did move on. Others who went to stay out-of-town with friends or relatives simply stayed away.

Most of the flood survivors did stay in the Valley. Cambria Iron and Steel rebuilt its mill and people got back to work. Incredibly, by 1910, Johnstown’s population had more than doubled since 1889. Its steel production had quadrupled!

Amazingly, survivors of the Johnstown Flood of 1889 were mostly able to put the horrors of the Flood behind them. The Hurricane Katrina disaster teaches us that maybe we should not be so quick to forget!

This story would be inspirational any time. It is especially inspiring now, as western Pennsylvania rebuilds after economic damage caused by the downfall of American coal, steel, and other heavy industries.

Before your Museum Visit

Background Reading: Johnstown and the Flood

  • Reading“Johnstown before the Flood,” Chapsioter 1 “The Sky was Red” from David McCullough’s The Johnstown Flood (about 19 pages). Opens in a new window; close the window to return to this page.
    • Shorter selection (about 1.5 pages):
      Start partway down page at paragraph beginning “How much things had changed since they had marched off to save the Union!” End with paragraph beginning “Johnstown of 1889 was not a pretty place.”
    • Longer selection (5 pages):
      Start further down page at paragraph beginning “Looking back, most of the people who would remember Johnstown as it was…” End with paragraph beginning “Inventions and changes were coming along so fast that it was hard to keep up with them all.”
  • ReadingStory of the Johnstown Flood and a map showing the Path of the Flood.

The Day After

What on Earth do we do next?

Stay and rebuild, or leave and start over?

During your museum visit

Write a letter to a Johnstown friend explaining your decision to stay and rebuild your life in Johnstown or leave and start over somewhere else. Explain your reasons. Express your fears and regrets. As you write, think about these questions:

Staying:

  • How sure are you of your decision? Why are you in conflict? What draws you to stay? What urges you to move on?
  • What personal ties keep you in Johnstown? Job ties?
  • How afraid are you of another Flood? What will you do to protect yourself?
  • How do you plan to rebuild? Why is this better than moving elsewhere?

Leaving:

  • Will you try to stay in touch? Why or why not?
  • Where will you go? What are your plans?
  • How sure are you of your decision? Why are you in conflict? What draws you to stay? What urges you to move on?
  • What will you miss most about Johnstown? Least?

Timeline Activity

Use the Healing takes time: Events on Johnstown’s recovery timeline and color-code the events listed (on days with more than one event, color-code each event separately):

    • Rescue: Red
    • Recover: Orange
    • Relief: Yellow
    • Rebuild: Green
    • Remember: Blue

Cut the dates apart and arrange them on the timeline

Choose photos from the Rescue, Relief, and Rebuild Picture Galleries for each step along the way. Print the photos, and cut them out. (Hint: print out the thumbnail indexes for a full collection of photos that are a convenient size for this activity):

Arrange the photos on the timeline

Rebuilding

Rebuilding: A blank slate

Rebuilding Johnstown… Again and Again