Water & Steel: The Legacy of the Johnstown Flood

Nearly everyone has heard of the catastrophic flood that changed the town and citizens of Johnstown, Pennsylvania on May 30, 1889.  Johnstown is synonymous with floodwaters and steel. When the city was decimated by a flood of biblical proportions in 1889, it was considered one of the worst natural disasters in American history and gained global attention.  20,000,000 tons of water traveled 14 miles downstream killing more than 2,000 people and destroying the town below. Sadly, that deluge was only the first of three major floods to claim lives and wreak havoc in the region.

To commemorate the 136th anniversary of the historic 1889 event, the Dover Public Library will offer five special events during the month of May. For more information or to register, please call the library at 330-343-6123 or visit www.doverlibrary.org.

The first program “Disastrous Floods and the Demise of Steel in Johnstown, PA” will take place on Thursday, May 1 at 6:30 PM in the Community Room. Presented by Patrick Farabaugh, author and professor of communications at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, this program charts the harrowing history of Johnstown’s great floods (1889, 1936 and 1977) and its effects on the city’s economy.  A book signing will follow the program.

On Wednesday, May 7 at 6:30 PM, there will be a discussion of David McCullough’s The Johnstown Flood, which is considered to be the definitive account of the Johnstown Flood. David McCullough tells the stunning story of one of America’s greatest disasters, a preventable tragedy of Gilded Age America. Contact the library for a copy of the book for the discussion.

The third program is titled “Rush of the Torrent” features Chris Hart portraying Rev H.L.Chapman who served as the Methodist pastor of Johnstown Pennsylvania during the great flood of 1889.  Several years later, he is posted to another church. He keeps getting so many questions about the flood that he has decided to host an informative presentation so he can relate about the tragedy once and for all. This program will be held on Thursday, May 15 at 6:30 PM in the Community Room.

Tuscarawas County has been no stranger to floods over the years. On Monday, May 19 at 6:30 PM, Local History Librarian Kim Jurkovic will present “Rising Waters: A History of the Floods of Tuscarawas County.” She will talk about the floods that have hit Tuscarawas County, with an emphasis on the Great Flood of 1913. She will share some of the many images of the devastation this flood caused across Dover, Tuscarawas County, and Ohio. The 1913 Flood had many effects on the area, including spelling the end of the Ohio Erie Canal and beginning the process to create the flood control system of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District.

After learning so much about how the floods affected the lives and the livelihoods of people who lived in these towns, we invite you on a special field trip to the Johnstown Flood Museum in Johnstown, PA on Friday, May 30. The scheduled group tour of the museum is at 11:00 AM. Museum admission will be $10. Travel will be the responsibility of the participant.  Time-permitting, our visit may include other attractions in the area such as the Stone Bridge, the remains of the South Fork Dam and more. Please let Sherrel Rieger or Jim Gill know if you are interested in this trip. Details about the field trip will be determined as the date approaches.