Archive of original photographs of the Second Great Flood of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 1977

N.p. N.p., Circa 1977. Archive of 68 vernacular photographs documenting a catastrophic flood in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on July 19-20, 1977, known colloquially as the "Second Great Flood of Johnstown."

Annotations in manuscript ink note the name and address of the album's owner, a Madaline Hasse, as well as the date (July 20, 1977) and the names of several locations captured in the album—Dale, Walnut Grove, Solomans Home, and Ohio Street. Featured are numerous striking views of water rushing through city streets, downed trees and branches, accumulated mud and debris, and the city's residents, presumably driven from their houses, witnessing the aftermath.

In the wake of damage sustained during floods in 1889 and 1936, the US Army Corps of Engineers began working on flood control measures in 1938, and by 1943 the project was declared complete. The channel improvements made during the project were designed to carry 81,500 cubic feet per second of water. On the night of July 19, 1977, however, a deluge of rainfall created a flood discharge of 115,000 cubic feet per second, causing six dams in Cambria County to fail.

Eight counties were affected by the flooding, resulting in 2700 injuries and 76 deaths. The local economy was also heavily impacted by the flood, largely due to the area's biggest employer, Bethlehem Steel, terminating over 2300 jobs in the years following the disaster. The decline in steel and coal production made a significant dent in city revenue, and Johnstown ultimately never recovered its industrial power.

Photographs approximately 3.5 x 4.5 inches, housed in a generic white vinyl spiralbound album measuring 10 x 12 inches. Photographs generally Very Good plus to Near Fine, moderately faded, held to album pages with plastic overlays.

[Book #171560]