Day 37 Johnstown Flood & Flight 93

I had read alot about the Johnstown Flood when I was a kid. Much of what we saw in the visitor center was pictures of the big flood of 1889. We learned that there were 4 other major floods, the last one in the 1970's

The Little Conemaugh River valley was the site of the South Fork Fishing club owned by wealthy Pittsburgh Robber Barons like Carnegie & Fisk.

The Unger house was owned by the on site manager of the club.

This is all that remains of the 2 abutments of the earthen dam. You can make out the flat sections with the trees in the valley were the dam washed out.

The earthen dam had partially washed out a few years earlier & when the rich guys bought the property they partaily repaired it but actually made the dam breast lower to accomodate wagons moving across the top.

The visitor center had alot of these pictures taken after the flood.

The RR bridge collected alot of debris, houses, people and actually caught fire and some people were burned alive as they were drowning.

Before and after pictures

The South Fork Fishing Club House. There were hearings afterwards, but of course none of the rich guys were responsible. Many did send money to help in the relief.

We went from the site of one disaster about 40 miles to the site of another.

The NPS still uses this mining building as temporary visitor center. It was used as the command post for the FBI, NTSB, & police during the investigation after the crash and will be part of the permanent memorial .

The visitor center had a variety of panels telling different parts of the story about the crash

about the victims

and accounts from the cockpit recorders

and phone calls made by the passengers.

Just like at the Vietnam Memorial, folks left momentos on the fences surrounding the crash site.

I talked with one of the local volunteers who explained that the grassy area along the line of trees is the crash site.

The NPS consulted with the family members who decided to replant the area as it had been before the crash. The flag marks the crash site.

They did have the plans posted for the future memorial and the family members have been part of the planning process with the NPS.

Just as we were leaving Flight 93, one of the blackest storms I've ever seen blew in and we had some nasty driving when we got on the PA. Turnpike, our country's first limited access highway.