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The Destruction of A Town: The Great Johnstown Flood of 1889

Part 2 of The Tragic History of the Johnstown Flood

“Thousands of happy homes, thousands of joyous and well lived lives blotted out of existence without a moments warning”. July 14, 1889, Johnstown Tribune Democrat. “They were swept into an endless eternity!” Two of the many descriptions I found describing the Johnstown flood of 1889.

In Part one of this series The Tragic History of the Johnstown Flood and the role of Grandview Cemetery, I mentioned that I found the “Unknown Plot” of the unidentified victims of the 1889 Johnstown Flood in Grandview Cemetery.

Black and white image of identical headstones in symmetrical order known as the Unknown Plot where the unidentified and unclaimed victims of the 1889 Johnstown flood are buried. A simple sign, similar to a street sign saying "Unknown Plot" which marks the front and the back of the plot. The sign is prominent in the image while the headstones fill the rest of the picture, slightly out of focus to draw attention to the sign.
“Unknown Plot” of the unidentified and unclaimed victims of the 1889 Johnstown flood.

The Great Johnstown flood of 1889 left a mark on my town and I wanted to learn more about this tragic event.  Unfortunately, this historic event is what made Johnstown famous. As I walked through the cemetery, I saw numerous headstones with the date of the flood, May 31, 1889. I wanted to learn about this disaster which took so many lives. I purchased the book written by David McCullough, The Johnstown Flood. I read that many of those who lost their lives were buried in Grandview Cemetery. I started seeking out the final resting places to see what they had to say about the flood. I felt that their headstones might shed some light on this tragic event. And indeed they did.

A simple statement of the date says it all.

A simple headstone flush with the earth located in Grandview Cemetery marking the resting place of Mary Barbour. Simple but to the point, leaving no doubt that she died in the flood. The three poignant lines on the headstone read "MARY BARBOUR DIED MAY 31,1889.
The headstones of the Great Johnstown Flood of 1889 are all unique. Mary Barbour, 25 was married and lived in Woodvale. She had a daughter, Florence, age 4 who is buried in Grandview. Two other children ages 7 and 3 months were never found.

The descriptions on the  headstones showed me how this sudden and violent event brought about great loss and destruction. I can only imagine how terrified the residents of Johnstown must have been. As I discovered one headstone after another, I began to get a sense of how apocalyptic that day was for the residents of my town. The devastation of the flood is evidenced by the headstones describing the tragedy. I found descriptions such ad “drowned”, “lost”, “unknown”. Whole famlies were lost in the flood. Many were never accounted for.

Headstone of Frank A. Weir who died on May 31, 1889, a victim of the flood. The headstone states his age as 17 years, 11 months, 18 days.
Headstone stating that Frank Weir, a teenager was a victim of the 1889 flood. He lived in Cambria. His original burial place was Sandyview Cemetery.
Metal plaque on monument stowing that both Catherine Meyer and her 13 year John, drowned in the 1889 flood.
Mothers and sons drowned in the 1889 flood.
Granite headstone for the son of E.E. Isabel E. Willower born, May 28th, 1885 Lost in the flood May 31st, 1889
The son of E.H and Isabel E. Willower was four years old when he perished.
Louis, 69 lived on Main Street.
Eight headstones of one family all lost in the flood. The weathered granite headstones standing about 3 feet high in the mist.
The records show only one member of this family died in the flood but the date of 1889 shows on many of these family members headstones.
Weathered, granite headstone memorializing the loss of three of their children in the flood.
The entire Ryan family was lost. Mother, father, grandmother and three children. Two of the three children, Sadie and Gertrude were not found. I found this headstone in the Lower Yoder Catholic Cemetery. They lived on Washington Street. Twenty-one people died in his house.
The Rhodes family, mother and father, who were in their twenties and their 10 month old son, Clarence. They resided on Somerset Street.
Curved headstone about a foot off the ground.Father written on the front of the headstone and the top headstone states Lemon Thomas, Jan 3, 1834 on the second line and written on the third line is May 31, 1889.
A father lost in the flood. Lemon Thomas Beam
Dr. L. T. Beam memorial.
B.F. Hoffman, his wife and all of his children (9) perished. Two of his children were never er found. They lived on Market Street.
The entire Kirlin family perished. Two parents and three children. Mrs. Kirlin and their youngest son were never found.
Lizzie was five months old when she was lost. Her body was never found. Her tombstone is next to her parents. They lived in Conemaugh.
A much loved policeman.
Patrolman Samuel Eldridge drowned during the Johnstown Flood while attempting to assist other residents of the borough.

Victims of the Johnstown Flood List

The list was originally published in the Johnstown Tribune on July 31, 1890; as a
contemporary booklet of the list said, “So far as human agency can accomplish, it is
complete. Here and there a name is missing; a name or two perhaps appears whose
owner was not drowned; but the list has passed the jealous scrutiny of all survivors,
and is pronounced correct.” The original list was organized by burial place, while this copy  is alphabetical by last name. This document was downloaded from the
Web site of the Johnstown Flood Museum, which is owned and operated by the
Johnstown Area Heritage Association. For much more about the flood and the museum.

A Little Bit of Photography and Faith

Cindy Archbell Photography

cindyarchbellmattson

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4 responses to “The Destruction of A Town: The Great Johnstown Flood of 1889”

  1. guitardoor Avatar
    guitardoor

    It’s sad all these people have died under such a tragic circumstance but great that their memories can live on in a blog post for the world to remember the destruction of Johnstown in 1889.

    Reply
    1. cindyarchbellmattson Avatar
      cindyarchbellmattson

      Thank you for reading my post and thank you for responding! I hope your day is blessed!

      Reply
  2. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Sad beyond belief . Bookends here of Countries greatest tragedies . Flood and 911 in nearby Shanksville .

    Reply
    1. cindyarchbellmattson Avatar
      cindyarchbellmattson

      We live in such a si ful world! Thanks for responding!

      Reply

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