• A view of the South and North abutments of the South Fork Dam. The Visitor Center, Unger House, and Spring House are visible in the background. As is visible, a spur railroad line connects coal trains with the main line of the railroad.

    Johnstown Flood

    National Memorial Pennsylvania

About the Park Visitor Center

There are two floors of exhibits and a film.

Exhibits
Maps
Views out to the former dam
Tactile Displays
Special slide show of historic Semple Photographs
Reproduction Morgue Book
Audio program of Victor Heiser's survival story
Temporary Displays

Park Film
Film is shown at 15 minutes past the hour (9:15, 10:15, 11:15, 12:15, 1:15, 2:15, 3:15, 4:15).

There are two Johnstown Flood-related sites in the area. Our park, Johnstown Flood National Memorial, preserves the ruins of the South Fork Dam, part of the old lakebed, and some of the buildings of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. In our visitor center, we show a National Park Service-produced film, nicknamed "Black Friday," that tries to recreate the Flood. (For copyright reasons our film is not available for purchase.)

In an old Carnegie Library in Johnstown is the Johnstown Flood Museum, owned and operated by the Johnstown Area Heritage Association. It is a true museum, and features an Academy-Award-winning film by Charles Guggenheim called "the Johnstown Flood." (The Flood Museum's film is available for purchase.)

Did You Know?

Johnstown Dam

The Dam was originally built by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a reservoir for the canal basin in Johnstown. It took from 1838-1853 to construct and fill, yet the canal system was obsolete by 1854.