Johnstown Flood National Memorial
Stand above the failed South Fork Dam and trace how one breach devastated the Conemaugh Valley.
Artwork inspired by George Hetzel
On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam failed after heavy rain, sending Lake Conemaugh's water toward Johnstown. More than 2,200 people died. The memorial preserves the broken dam and former lakebed, so the visitor-center view is evidence rather than scenery. Exhibits examine dam construction and neglect, the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, the flood's path, and survivors.
The 35-minute ‘Black Friday’ film gives this landscape human stakes. A fiber-optic map traces the water's course. At the overlook, use the surviving dam ends to imagine the missing barrier. The film and exhibits can be emotionally difficult. Grounds remain open when the visitor center is closed Wednesday and Thursday, but the outdoor view alone cannot replace those accounts.
- Disaster
- May 31, 1889
- Lives lost
- More than 2,200
- Park film
- ‘Black Friday,’ 35 minutes
Quick guide
- See the map first
- Trace the failed dam's water through the valley before walking outside.
- Stand at the breach
- Look between the dam abutments and across the former lakebed.
Know before you go
- Begin with causes
- Read how the dam changed under private ownership and what warnings were missed.
- Follow one survivor
- Use the Victor Heiser account to give the large death toll a personal scale.
- Watch the route
- The fiber-optic map connects the dam to Johnstown downstream.
- Look into absence
- At the overlook, the empty lakebed and missing middle of the dam are the key artifacts.
Good to know
The visitor center is closed Wednesday and Thursday even though outdoor grounds are normally open. The park film deals directly with mass death and is rated PG by NPS.
Notice these
- South Fork Dam remains
- Former Lake Conemaugh
- Flood-path exhibits