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Author Talk: Disastrous Floods and the Demise of Steel in Johnstown
December 2, 2021 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Join us for an author talk and book signing with St. Francis University Communications Professor Pat Farabaugh as he discusses his new book on the three major floods in Johnstown and the region’s long history as a leader in the nation’s steel industry. Books will be available for purchase.
$5 for non-members, free for NMIH members. Pre-registration required by 12/2 to attend. Masks required when inside the building.
About the Book
Johnstown is synonymous with floodwaters and steel. When the city was decimated by a flood of biblical proportions in 1889, it was considered one of the worst natural disasters in American history and gained global attention. Sadly, that deluge was only the first of three major floods to claim lives and wreak havoc in the region. The destruction in the wake of the St. Patrick’s Day flood in 1936 was the impetus for groundbreaking federal and local flood control measures. Multiple dam failures, including the Laurel Run Dam in July 1977, left a flooded Johnstown with a failing steel industry in ruins. Author Pat Farabaugh charts the harrowing history of Johnstown’s great floods and the effects on its economic lifeblood.