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!

JAHA at Home: Sharing our resources while the museums are closed

JAHA at Home: Sharing our resources while the museums are closed

Posted: March 27, 2020 9:16 am

Like so many businesses and public sites, we are currently closed to help limit the spread of the coronavirus. But even though our doors are closed, we still have plenty to share with you.

There are many materials online through our website that you can explore to learn about Johnstown history, including lesson plans, activities, history content, and more. For those of you self-isolating or attending school from home, come explore what we have to offer!

If you appreciate JAHA, we encourage you to become a member or donate today! Every dollar makes a difference. 

JAHA Educational Materials: Our lesson plans explore the 1889 Johnstown Flood, the history of immigration to Johnstown, and other topics. With diverse resources, photographs, primary and secondary sources, and more, you will have all you need for an in-depth discovery of Johnstown history.

Museum educational materials

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Johnstown Children’s Museum Activities: Find some of your favorite activities from the Children’s Museum, from coloring sheets and arts and crafts to materials for Women’s History Month, Easter, and more! The Morley in the Museum Instagram account features posts with fun things to do.

Follow Morley in the Museum

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Daily Facebook Posts: Be sure to check out our Facebook page for daily Facebook posts exploring local history, including On this Day in Johnstown History, Johnstown Photos, Share Your Memories, trivia questions and more. Be sure to like, comment, and share your own ideas for things worth exploring!

Follow JAHA’s Facebook Page

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The Archives & Collections section of this website: We’ve digitized a variety of interesting materials to explore, including a separate website devoted to Southmont history; a home movie of Amelia Earhart’s visit to Johnstown; oral histories from the Jewish community, and from the 1977 flood; 1936 flood letters; and 1889 and 1936 flood photography.

JAHA Archives & Collections

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Museum @ Home: Every Friday, we will post information outlining a different activity you can do to create and share your own museum exhibit from home. From mini exhibits to family research, we invite you to take part in doing what museum workers do!

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A couple other things we’d like to call your attention to:

Louis Semple Clarke Collection: The first results of the collaboration with the Pitt-Johnstown Multimedia & Digital Culture Department and Historic Pittsburgh are now accessible through Historic Pittsburgh’s website! Louis Semple Clarke was a talented amateur photographer who was a member of the South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club. His images portray an intimate view of daily life and pastimes at the club, and are absolutely spectacular (the photo accompanying this blog post is one of them). Browse high-resolution versions of the collection at the link below.

Louis Semple Clarke Collection

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Stone Bridge lights back online: The computer that controls the Stone Bridge has been giving us trouble, but thanks to the work of dedicated volunteer Dustin Greene of Top Dog Productions, it’s back online and shining — and right now, Johnstown could use a little light, don’t you think? Current light times are 7:30-10:30 pm, and you can see the bridge at the livecam below.

See the bridge on the livecam

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We know this is a difficult time for people. It is a time that has required us to make many sacrifices, has disrupted our routines, and has created uncertainty for everyone. We hope that we can offer a few things to make your days more interesting and enjoyable. We’re with you. And if history has taught us anything, it is if we stick together and work together, we can get through this.