Johnstown Children's Museum

06/01/2026

Looking for fun summer activities? The Heritage Discovery Center/Johnstown Children's Museum has you covered! Did you know there are so many great options for visiting? Stay tuned this week to learn about them!

06/01/2026

05/31/2026

There's only a few days left to donate! Did you know that summer clothes and other items are donated less than their winter counterparts? We are helping get our community ready for the summer by collecting for Victim Services Inc.'s summer drive! Bring a donation to The Heritage Discovery Center/Johnstown Children's Museum and receive 10% off admission! Clothes may be gently used, but please make sure bathing suits, undergarments, etc are new!

05/31/2026

Today we remember The 1889 Johnstown Flood. Johnstown has quite the flooding history, with major floods in 1889, 1936, and 1977. The presence of these floods can be found all over town--including high water marks. These are on City Hall, The Johnstown Train Station, and The Heritage Discovery Center. Do you know of any other high water marks around town?

05/30/2026

What would you do if you happened upon a lion, gorilla, or elephant in your town? If you were in nearby Tyrone, PA on May 30th 1893 you would have done just that!

A Walter L Main circus train was 17 cars long, the maximum allowed, but many of the cars were almost twice as long as a regular train car and the train was traveling over the speed limit! They weren't able to take the steep curves of the track, especially with the weight of exotic animals shifting, and derailed!

Cleaning up after a circus train wasn't easy! When they tried to help, a fireman and engineer were surrounded by hyenas and others had to round up animals like a gorilla and zebra. Luckily, the strong elephant was able to help move heavy items!

Would you help the clean up? Would you watch? Many people came out to see what had happened and didn't seem afraid of the animals...although there were reports of local chickens and cows being eaten by escaped animals!

Photos courtesy of Susie O'Brien
Read more about the wreck here:
https://tyroneeagleeyenews.com/126-years-later-tyrone-circus-trainwreck-impacts-the-past-and-present-community/ #

05/29/2026

Watch out for those pesky mannequins!

05/28/2026

Exciting news for all of our train loving kiddos!

In celebration of America's 250th Anniversary, Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 will be making an appearance in Cambria County on July 11th, 2026! 🚂 The train will pass through Johnstown and will make a stop in Cresson, PA, before moving along!

Big Boy is the world's largest and only operating steam locomotive. Built in 1941, this colossal 4-8-8-4 articulated engine weighs 1.2 million pounds and produces 7,000 horsepower.

Full schedule: https://www.up.com/about-us/history/steam/schedule

05/28/2026

That's a wrap on field trip season for The JCM! Thank you for joining us through the chaos!

05/27/2026

It's ! What makes *you* happy? Be kind to yourself and make time for you.

And remember - you are not alone. If you find yourself in crisis — or just need to talk to someone — call or text 988, any time of day or night.

pa.gov/988

05/27/2026

Did you know that summer clothes and other items are donated less than their winter counterparts? We are helping get our community ready for the summer by collecting for Victim Services Inc.'s summer drive! Bring a donation to The Heritage Discovery Center/Johnstown Children's Museum and receive 10% off admission! Clothes may be gently used, but please make sure bathing suits, undergarments, etc are new!