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Visit to the Johnstown Flood Museum and

Johnstown Area Heritage Association (JAHA)

Rod Hass
Two towns, 2,200 Residents of the Ridge
miles apart, but with are known for their
so much in common. resilience. The stories
Johnstown, Pennsyl- presented by the JAHA
vania, was destroyed museums are also ones
by a catastrophic flood of resilience. Following
in 1889, followed by the Johnstown model,
floods in 1936 and 1977. Ridge experiences
Although the causes will be depicted in
of the towns’ disas- exhibits and by visual
ters were different, the presentations using
impacts were the same. videos and recordings
In Johnstown, as in by both survivors and
Paradise, people lost by actors reading the
their homes, jobs, lives. Johnstown, Pennsylvania written narratives of
After the floods, the people of Johnstown fire survivors. The JAHA museums have dedicated spaces for various
opened two museums: one commemorating exhibits and displays. Our new facility will provide us with that type
the floods, the second covering the history of of opportunity.
Johnstown.
The stories of the disasters in Johnstown and Paradise are of both
The Gold Nugget Museum’s Board of Direc- heroism and horror. Like Johnstown, Paradise will focus on the stories
tors realized that Paradise and Johnstown of heroism and optimism.
had a great deal in common. Don Criswell,
Bill Hartley, Rod Hass, Dennis Ivey, and
Michelle Rader, accompanied by CEO/Execu-
tive Director Mark Thorp, went to Johnstown,
at their own expense, to visit the museums
and to learn from Johnstown’s experiences. It
would be an understatement to say that it was
a highly worthwhile experience.

Our rebuilding efforts were validated by the
JAHA visit and will be continued. We also
learned a great deal from JAHA members
regarding new programs, which could well
be incorporated into the new Gold Nugget
Museum.
Museum display

Group from the Gold Nugget Museum meeting with representative from
the Johnstown Museum.
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