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:
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.
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:
Leaving:
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):
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
Official reports:
Beale’s informal reports:
Rebuilding: A blank slate
Rebuilding Johnstown… Again and Again
How should we remember?
Memorial sites for the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
Lessons learned: Why should we remember?