Last updated: March 2, 2024
Place
"On old state maps it was the Western Reservoir." Wayside
NPS
Quick Facts
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
Description of Wayside: The low-profile wayside is 36 x 24 inches and is surrounded by black metal. It has a black rectangular base with two rectangular pillars supporting the panel. The wayside along the Walk Through the Ruins trail.
Wayside Layout: At the top of the wayside is a thin black banner with white text. To the left is "Johnstown Flood National Memorial." To the right is "National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior." Next to the text is the National Park Service arrowhead. The title of the wayside is below the black banner in large black font. The panel has a cream-colored background. There is one column of text and one image.
Wayside Title: On old state maps it was the Western Reservoir.
Text: The original dam was built by the state of Pennsylvania to create a reservoir for the western portion of the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal and completed in the 1850's. It had a control mechanism consisting of a sluice gate with five very large cast iron pipes that enter a stone culvert extending 270 feet through the base of the dam. The foundation stones that are still visible here are all that remain of the culvert. A valve tower out in the lake regulated the flow of water out through the pipes. After a breach in 18532, the lake was completely drained, the valve tower burned down, and the cast iron pipes were removed.
After a series of owners, the property was purchased by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club in 1879. When the dam was patched under their ownership, this vital control system was never replaced. The only means left to get rid of excess water from the lake was the spillway--and on the morning of May 31, 1889, it was jammed with debris from the storm.
The level of the lake continued to rise at an alarming rate. It was just a matter of time before the water would flow over the top of the dam, causing it to break. John Parke rode his horse to the town of South Fork to send a telegraph warning to Johnstown. The roads were in terrible shape because of the storm, but he made the two mile ride in just ten minutes.
Image: The first South Fork Dam as it was built by the State of Pennsylvania in 1853 to provide water for the state canal system with text showing your location. NPS/Harpers Ferry Center
Wayside Layout: At the top of the wayside is a thin black banner with white text. To the left is "Johnstown Flood National Memorial." To the right is "National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior." Next to the text is the National Park Service arrowhead. The title of the wayside is below the black banner in large black font. The panel has a cream-colored background. There is one column of text and one image.
Wayside Title: On old state maps it was the Western Reservoir.
Text: The original dam was built by the state of Pennsylvania to create a reservoir for the western portion of the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal and completed in the 1850's. It had a control mechanism consisting of a sluice gate with five very large cast iron pipes that enter a stone culvert extending 270 feet through the base of the dam. The foundation stones that are still visible here are all that remain of the culvert. A valve tower out in the lake regulated the flow of water out through the pipes. After a breach in 18532, the lake was completely drained, the valve tower burned down, and the cast iron pipes were removed.
After a series of owners, the property was purchased by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club in 1879. When the dam was patched under their ownership, this vital control system was never replaced. The only means left to get rid of excess water from the lake was the spillway--and on the morning of May 31, 1889, it was jammed with debris from the storm.
The level of the lake continued to rise at an alarming rate. It was just a matter of time before the water would flow over the top of the dam, causing it to break. John Parke rode his horse to the town of South Fork to send a telegraph warning to Johnstown. The roads were in terrible shape because of the storm, but he made the two mile ride in just ten minutes.
Image: The first South Fork Dam as it was built by the State of Pennsylvania in 1853 to provide water for the state canal system with text showing your location. NPS/Harpers Ferry Center