Johnstown Flood









About Us


On June 1, 1889 Americans woke to the news that Johnstown, Pennsylvania had been devastated by the worst flood in the nation’s history. Over 2,200 were dead, with many more homeless. Johnstown in 1889 was a steel company town of Germans and Welsh, with a population of 30,000, it was growing an industrious community known for the quality of its steel. There was one small drawback to Johnstown. Johnstown had been built on a flood plain at the fork of the Little Conemaugh and Stony Creek rivers. Because the growing city had narrowed the river banks to gain building space, the heavy yearly rains had caused more flooding. In lives lost, the Johnstown, PA Flood was the worst civil disaster the United States has ever suffered. Every state in the nation sent some type of relief, and the people of sixteen foreign countries, including Russia, Turkey, France, Britain, Australia, and Germany sent aid. For Clara Barton, the disaster was the first big test for her newly organized American Red Cross.