Last updated: February 22, 2024
Place
Flag pole at the Lake View Visitor Center
NPS
Welcome to Johnstown Flood National Memorial, a unit of the National Park Service. Within this now beautiful national park, we commemorate one of the darkest days in American history. On Friday, May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam, the remains of which are visible below and to the right, failed, sending over 20,000,000 tons of water hurtling into the Conemaugh Valley. At 4:07 pm that afternoon, the flood wave struck the industrial city of Johnstown. $17,000,000 in property damage occurred and an official total of 2,209 men, women, and children were killed.
You are standing on what was once the property of the South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club. The house directly in front of you was the home of the Club’s second and last president, Colonel Elias J. Unger. The building to your right, the park visitor center, was designed to resemble the Unger barn. Hayfields and orchards would have been visible as well. Unger was originally from the Harrisburg area. He had an illustrious career working for the Pennsylvania Railroad, making a name for himself in hotels. He eventually settled in the Pittsburgh area. Through his work with the railroad, he befriended many of the rich and powerful club members. He did not have the same kind of wealth that most club members possessed but they wanted their Club House to be the best and they knew Unger was the man who could make this happen. Unger’s duties included caring for the South Fork Dam. After the breaking of the South Fork Dam and the Johnstown Flood, he stayed on the spot, living out the rest of his years until he died in 1896.
You are standing on what was once the property of the South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club. The house directly in front of you was the home of the Club’s second and last president, Colonel Elias J. Unger. The building to your right, the park visitor center, was designed to resemble the Unger barn. Hayfields and orchards would have been visible as well. Unger was originally from the Harrisburg area. He had an illustrious career working for the Pennsylvania Railroad, making a name for himself in hotels. He eventually settled in the Pittsburgh area. Through his work with the railroad, he befriended many of the rich and powerful club members. He did not have the same kind of wealth that most club members possessed but they wanted their Club House to be the best and they knew Unger was the man who could make this happen. Unger’s duties included caring for the South Fork Dam. After the breaking of the South Fork Dam and the Johnstown Flood, he stayed on the spot, living out the rest of his years until he died in 1896.