Johnstown Area Heritage Association

11/04/2020

Our thanks to the Minor family for sharing their photos of the Halloween Hullabaloo with us, and to all who came out to celebrate in a socially distanced, safe way.

11/03/2020

Thank you to everyone who came out to our Halloween Hullabaloo on Friday! We'd also like to express our appreciation to our sponsors for helping make the evening possible: Dr. John Ridella; Macaroni Kid Johnstown/Laurel Highlands/Altoona; Beginnings, Inc.; The Learning Lamp; Cambria County Library; Family Medical Center, Conemaugh Healthcare System/Duke LifePoint; SEADS Garden Center; Young Heart Books and Toys; CFO Strategies LLC; Johnstown's Moneyman; State Farm -- Donna Christopher; Flood City Flooring; McKolosky Chiropractic; Stuver's Riverside Nursery; Dickert Farms; Olive Garden; SUPPES FORD; Coney Island Hot Dogs; Westwood Plaza Theatre & Cafe; Giant Eagle; and Hogue's Fun Factory. Thank you!!

10/31/2020

Today! More Halloween fun in our area.

10/30/2020

A nice fire and warm food at Peoples Natural Gas Park as part of our Halloween Hullabaloo!

10/30/2020

A reminder! Tonight's Halloween Hullabaloo will take place at multiple JAHA locations, to help promote social distancing. If you plan to buy a ticket on-site, you can pay with cash or credit card at the Heritage Discovery Center or Johnstown Flood Museum; or with cash only at Peoples Natural Gas Park. If you have already bought your ticket, you can begin your evening at any of these locations. Remember, masks are required at all locations! See you soon.

10/30/2020

Tonight’s the night! Don’t miss our Halloween Hullabaloo - A safe(r) trick or treat event for families! Our staff is working hard on decorations and preparation — as a reminder, the Children’s Museum is closed during the day today as we get ready. See you soon — it’s going to be a spooky good time!

10/29/2020

Our Halloween Hullabaloo is taking place on Friday starting at 4:00 pm!

The Johnstown Children's Museum will be closed Friday in preparation for this event, while the Johnstown Flood Museum will be taken over by the Hullabaloo at 4:00 pm — our documentary will not be played beyond 3 pm.

The Iron and Steel Gallery at the Heritage Discovery Center will be taken over by our Halloween Hullabaloo creators all of Friday, too!

10/29/2020

When you buy an advance ticket to tomorrow’s Halloween Hullabaloo - A safe(r) trick or treat event for families!, you get a chance to win this fantastic cauldron of candy and treats, including a gift card to Coney Island Johnstown! Call 539-1889 or stop by the Heritage Discovery Center to get yours.

10/28/2020

We are AWASH in candy as we prepare for this Friday's Halloween Hullabaloo - A safe(r) trick or treat event for families!! Make plans now to attend this frightfully fun event -- click on the event name for complete details.

10/26/2020

Somethjng’s brewing! Preparations for our Halloween Hullabaloo, our safe(r) trick-or-treat event for families on Oct. 30, are in full swing. Here we see decorations at the Wagner-Ritter House, one of four JAHA locations that are part of the evening!

10/23/2020

The view from our Rooftop Garden as the fog cleared this morning! This beautiful space can be rented — if you’re interested, contact us at 539-1889.

10/21/2020

JAHA is delighted to help host this event by Johnstown's Moneyman! Instructions on how to enter the competition are included below.

‼️‼️‼️‼️GIVEAWAY‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️
1️⃣ Share this post.
2️⃣ Comment what gadget you want.
3️⃣ Like Moneyman’s FB page.
💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰

Art by Adam Helm

10/15/2020

Discovery center’s elevator campaign nears halfway point

We appreciated The Tribune-Democrat's coverage of our elevator campaign, and all who have contributed so far! Please help us keep the campaign going UP.

Johnstown Area Heritage Association announced that the project to replace the Heritage Discovery Center’s elevator is nearing its halfway point.

10/05/2020

Story of Black migration from South told in exhibit

Great coverage of a new addition to our permanent exhibition!

A new chapter in the story of Johnstown has been added to an area exhibit.

10/02/2020

Thanks and appreciation to Marcia Kelly and Kim Baxter! - Johnstown Area Heritage Association

This week we held a (socially distanced) retirement luncheon for two staff members -- Marcia Kelly (left) and Kim Baxter, who have served JAHA for a combined total of 56 years! Read more about them in our latest blog post. Please join us in wishing them all the best in retirement.

JAHA staff gathered for a (socially distanced) retirement luncheon on Wednesday, Sept. 30, for Marcia Kelly (left) and Kim Baxter! The two honorees are pictured above, holding chocolates to commemorate the number of years they’ve spent with us — 43 ...

09/29/2020

New panel on Great Migration added to permanent exhibition; elevator fund keeps going up! - Johnstown Area Heritage Association

In 1910, Johnstown's African American population was just 450 -- but by 1930, it had swelled to nearly 3,000. This new panel in the Heritage Discovery Center's permanent exhibition explains the local story of a national event, The Great Migration, the period when more than 6 million African Americans from the South moved to cities in the industrial north and midwest. The HDC is currently open Thurs-Fri-Sat from 10am-5pm -- welcome!

The permanent exhibition at the Heritage Discovery Center, “America: Through Immigrant Eyes,” has received an addition that tells the story of later migrants: African Americans from the South who came to Johnstown from 1916-1930. “’America: Through Immigrant Eyes’ covers the period ...

09/28/2020

Something's brewing! We're working on a socially distanced, safe trick-or-treating event across several JAHA facilities for Friday, October 30! Stay tuned for more...

09/21/2020

Frozen in time: Grandfather's watch, stopped at moment of train wreck 100 years ago, symbolizes dangerous nature of early steel work, curator says

"A Steelworker's Story" at the Heritage Discovery Center features many personal artifacts and remembrances, but none more moving than the tragic accident described in this story. Visit Thurs, Fri, and Sat from 10am-5pm to find out more.

On Sept. 22, 1920, Hetrick Miller, age 23; Frank Bruneau, 28; and W.H. Walls, 26, lost their lives when two trains violently collided around 4 a.m. on Cambria Steel Company's

09/18/2020

JAHA CEO Richard Burkert is rocking a stone bridge mask his daughter had made for him! How cool is that?

09/16/2020

America's Industrial Heritage — Southwestern Pennsylvania

A great online resource to explore: The America's Industrial Heritage publications! Completed in the 80s and 90s, these books about 9 counties in SW PA were a project of the National Park Service. Of particular interest locally: “The Character of a Steel Mill City: 4 Historic Neighborhoods of Johnstown,” which gives a wonderful overview of Johnstown, Downtown, Cambria City/Minersville, and Westmont; and “Historic Resource Study: Cambria Iron Company.” Great info about Windber: “A Legacy of Coal: The Coal Company Towns of SW PA.”

09/15/2020

Museums are reopening to a new audience: Locals eager to ‘travel’

"As cooler weather approaches, many grounded travelers will not be able to escape to the outdoors as they did during the summer. Beyond staying at home amid the expected winter rise in covid-19 cases and braving the cold outdoors, however, there is a middle ground: the museum." Welcome!

The institutions are proving that cities aren’t “dead” by providing a window to travel during the pandemic.

09/11/2020

New exhibit opens at Johnstown Children's Museum

More news coverage of the new Wentzscope at the Johnstown Children's Museum! We're open today (Thurs.), Fri. and Sat. this week.

OUR TOWN

09/09/2020

Folks! JAHA is looking for part-time maintenance/janitorial staff. Must be available weekends as well as days. If you're interested, please call 539-1889 or drop by the Johnstown Flood Museum or Heritage Discovery Center during opening hours for an application.

09/08/2020

JAHA is grounded! HELP!!, organized by Mark Pasquerilla

Everyone! Our elevator fund continues to go UP! We are now at more than $38,500 -- please help us continue toward our goal.

When a group of partners built the Germania Brewery in 1907, they wanted a tall building. La… Mark Pasquerilla needs your support for JAHA is grounded! HELP!!

09/03/2020

The Culture of Calamity - Crowdcast

Tara Fritz, a native of Johnstown at George Mason University, reached out to let us know about a virtual book event that's set for tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 4) at noon. Author Cynthia Kierner will discuss "Inventing Disaster: The Culture of Calamity from the Jamestown Colony to the Johnstown Flood." The event is free, and you can register to attend at the link below.

Register now for Fall for the Book's event on Crowdcast, scheduled to go live on Friday September 04, 2020 at 12:00 pm EDT.

09/02/2020

JAHA is grounded! HELP!!, organized by Mark Pasquerilla

Folks! As of today, our elevator campaign has risen to more than $37,000! We are grateful for every donation -- large and small. If you can, please help us continue moving up toward our goal by donating securely online at the link below.

When a group of partners built the Germania Brewery in 1907, they wanted a tall building. La… Mark Pasquerilla needs your support for JAHA is grounded! HELP!!

09/01/2020

Museum unveils new microscope designed for children

We appreciated The Tribune-Democrat's coverage of our newest addition to the Johnstown Children's Museum -- the Wentzscope!

The Johnstown Children’s Museum, located on the third floor of the Heritage Discovery Center, 201 Sixth Ave., in the Cambria City section of Johnstown, has unveiled a new interactive exhibit

08/28/2020

We are so happy to have the Johnstown Children's Museum open again! RSVPs are encouraged but not required, and we are working hard to keep the space sanitized and safe. Our website has full details! Welcome back, everyone.

08/27/2020

Johnstown Children's Museum to welcome visitors again

We appreciated this coverage of the Johnstown Children's Museum reopening! Our first day is today (Thursday) -- WELCOME!

The Johnstown Children’s Museum reopens to the public on Aug. 27.

08/26/2020

Wentzscope unveiled as Johnstown Children's Museum opens to the public; elevator campaign going up! - Johnstown Area Heritage Association

Exciting news as the Johnstown Children's Museum prepares to reopen to the public tomorrow -- a new interactive exhibition in the Conemaugh Health System Career Corner, made possible by the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies! Read all about the Wentzscope, a special kid-friendly microscope, at our latest blog post. Welcome back to the museum!

Visitors to the Johnstown Children’s Museum have an exciting new interactive exhibit to explore when the museum reopens to the public this week. The Wentzscope is a microscope specifically designed for museum installations that is sturdy and easy to use, allowing ...

08/26/2020

JAHA is grounded! HELP!! organized by Mark Pasquerilla

Our elevator fund is GOING UP! Since January we've been working on raising money to replace the Heritage Discovery Center elevator -- a $90,000 campaign. Obviously, this is not the easiest time to fundraise, but thanks to your generosity, as of today we are over $36,500! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have supported this effort, and please help us by continuing to donate at the link below, and liking and sharing this post.

When a group of partners built the Germania Brewery in 1907, they wanted a tall building. La… Mark Pasquerilla needs your support for JAHA is grounded! HELP!!

08/25/2020

JAHA welcomes back children to Johnstown museum

We appreciated The Tribune-Democrat's coverage of the reopening of the Johnstown Children's Museum!

On Thursday, Johnstown Area Heritage Association will reopen the Johnstown Children’s Museum in the Heritage Discovery Center, 201 Sixth Ave. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.

08/24/2020

Johnstown Children's Museum to reopen to the public on Aug. 27; elevator campaign continues! - Johnstown Area Heritage Association

Great news -- the Johnstown Children's Museum is reopening to the public this week! Opening hours for our museums are now as follows: Johnstown Flood Museum, 10:00 am-5:00 pm Wed., Thurs., Fri., and Sat., noon-5:00 pm on Sun.; while the Heritage Discovery Center, including the Johnstown Children's Museum (which is located on the third floor) is open on Thurs., Fri., and Sat. only from 10:00 am-5:00 pm. Walk-in visitors are welcome, but families are strongly encouraged to call 539-1889 to reserve a two-hour slot to visit the children's museum! Complete details on the children's museum re-opening, including COVID safety protocols and scheduling, are available at our blog post below.

The Johnstown Area Heritage Association (JAHA) is reopening the Johnstown Children’s Museum to the public, beginning on Aug. 27. JAHA closed the entire Heritage Discovery Center and Johnstown Flood Museum on March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 9, ...

08/24/2020

Portrait of a woman wearing a hat, eyeglasses, dress with dark collar and cuff, fur, wristwatch, and name tag that reads “Miss Pauline Gordon Assessor Johnstown, PA Cambria, Co.”, holding a dark handbag in left hand, in interior with light...

We recently came across this remarkable portrait of Pauline Gordon, who owned and operated the Gordon Mortuary in the Ludwig/Clara Barton House from the time she bought the property in 1974. This photo is from 1956; occasion unknown. From the collection of Charles "Teenie" Harris, the preeminent photographer for the PIttsburgh Courier from 1935-1975, in the holdings of the Carnegie Museum of Art.

Charles “Teenie” Harris, c. 1956

08/21/2020

Workers found a small stack of these cards in the Clara Barton House in #Johnstown! The house is where Clara Barton stayed during the relief effort for the 1889 flood. Members of the Ludwig family lived in the house until 1973. In 1974, the house was sold to Pauline Gordon, who moved her mortuary business there. Gordon, who was a prominent woman entrepreneur and active in politics (as seen by this card) and the NAACP, passed away in 2003 at the age of 83. Currently, efforts to refurbish the home are underway by the newly formed nonprofit Clara Barton House & Gardens Inc.