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Visit Johnstown, Pennsylvania

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Four times disastrous floods have claimed Johnstown, which is in a deep, irregular valley formed by Stony Creek and the Little Conemaugh and Conemaugh rivers. The first two floods, in 1862 and 1889, were a result of the collapse of the South Fork Dam, about 12 miles east on the Conemaugh. Some of the older buildings still show high water marks of the 1889 disaster, one of the country's worst peacetime catastrophes. Debris held behind a stone bridge area caught fire and added to the losses, which included some 2,200 lives. The Path of the Flood Trail is a hiking/biking trail following the roughly 14-mile path of the 1889 flood. The trail begins in Ehrenfeld and then joins the National Park Service's Staple Bend Tunnel Site for a short distance. There is about a .75-mile gap until it picks up again just past the Franklin Ballfield area to Pershing Avenue/Clapboard Run Road; the route then continues into Johnstown and ends at the Johnstown Flood Museum. Kiosks and interpretive panels along the way detail the devastating event. For more information about the route contact the Cambria County Conservation & Recreation Authority, (814) 472-2110, or the visitors bureau, (814) 536-7993.

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ARTICLEJohnstown Four times disastrous floods have claimed Johnstown, which is in a deep, irregular valley formed by Stony Creek and the Little Conemaugh and Conemaugh rivers. The first two floods, in 1862 and 1889, were a result of the collapse of the South Fork Dam, about 12 miles east on the Conemaugh. Some of the older buildings still show high water marks of the 1889 disaster, one of the country's worst peacetime catastrophes. Debris held behind a stone bridge area caught fire and added to the losses, which included some 2,200 lives. ThePath of the Flood Trailis a hiking/biking trail following the roughly 14-mile path of the 1889 flood. The trail begins in Ehrenfeld and then joins the National Park Service's Staple Bend Tunnel Site for a short distance. There is about a .75-mile gap until it picks up again just past the Franklin Ballfield area to Pershing Avenue/Clapboard Run Road; the route then continues into Johnstown and ends at the Johnstown Flood Museum. Kiosks and interpretive panels along the way detail the devastating event. For more information about the route contact the Cambria County Conservation & Recreation Authority, (814) 472-2110, or the visitors bureau, (814) 536-7993.Johnstown
NATIONAL PARKAllegheny National Forest Allegheny National Forest extends 40 miles south from the New York-Pennsylvania border through the counties of Warren, Forest, Elk and McKean. The only national forest in Pennsylvania, its approximately 517,000 acres include 500 miles of fishing streams, 272 miles of hiking and cross-country ski trails, 300 miles of snowmobile trails and 108 miles of trail-bike and ATV routes. Several scenic drives traverse the area; contact the forest for recommended routes.Allegheny National Forest
NATIONAL PARKAntietam National Battlefield On SR 34/65 at Sharpsburg, Antietam National Battlefield is a more-than-3,000-acre site where the Battle of Antietam, as it was called by the Union, or the Battle of Sharpsburg, as it was referred to by the Confederacy, took place Sept. 17, 1862.Antietam National Battlefield
NATIONAL PARKAppomattox Court House National Historical Park Three miles northeast of Appomattox on SR 24, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park is a 1,744-acre site. On April 9, 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee's weakened and outnumbered Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was cut off at Appomattox Court House by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. The two commanders met in the parlor of a house owned by Wilmer McLean—and the Army of Northern Virginia was surrendered to Grant.Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
NATIONAL PARKArlington National Cemetery Directly across the Potomac River west of Washington, Arlington National Cemetery was established in 1864 on the confiscated estate of Robert E. Lee. It is an impressive sight, with seemingly endless rows of simple white headstones. Imposing stones and monuments mark the graves of many individuals and groups.Arlington National Cemetery
NATIONAL PARKAssateague Island National Seashore Eight miles south of Ocean City, Md., via SR 611, Assateague Island is a narrow 37-mile-long barrier island paralleling the coast of Maryland and Virginia. Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague State Park manage the Maryland portion of the island, and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge manages the Virginia end. The national seashore encompasses 49,500 acres (19,000 of which are land), including Assateague Island and nearby small islands.Assateague Island National Seashore
NATIONAL PARKBooker T. Washington National Monument Booker T. Washington National Monument is 30 miles southeast of Roanoke via US 220 south to Rocky Mount, then north on SR 122. The 239-acre site commemorates Booker T. Washington's first 9 years in slavery by re-creating the environment of his childhood at Burroughs Plantation.Booker T. Washington National Monument
NATIONAL PARKChesapeake And Ohio Canal National Historical Park The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park follows the Maryland shore of the Potomac River from Georgetown in Washington, D.C., to Cumberland. Construction on the 184.5-mile canal began in 1828, and the canal operated 1850-1924.Chesapeake And Ohio Canal National Historical Park
NATIONAL PARKColonial National Historical Park On the peninsula between the York and James rivers, Colonial National Historical Park covers 8,600 acres. It embraces the Colonial Parkway, Historic JamestowneColonial National Historical Park
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