Learning About Historical Disasters at the Johnstown Flood Museum
On May 31, 1889, a devastating flood struck Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding countryside. Caused by the bursting of the South Fork Dam 14 miles above the city, a wall …
History in the Alleghenies
Hidden History: Inside the Abandoned Cambria Iron Works in Johnstown
Hidden History is a new series that explores historical sites that are off-limits to the general public. If you own a property in PA that would be a good fit, …
Exploring Blair County’s Historic Fort Roberdeau
Pennsylvania is home to many well-known battlefields, encampments, and forts like Valley Forge, the Gettysburg Battlefield, and Washington’s Crossing. However, there are also many military history sites that are known …
Riding the Beautiful and Historic Johnstown Inclined Plane
In the 1830s, the first inclined planes in the United States were completed in and around Cambria County, Pennsylvania, as part of the Allegheny Portage Railroad. Over the coming decades, …
Touring the Baker Mansion History Museum in Altoona, PA
Altoona is a city known for its vast railroading history. And, while there are several great places in the city to learn about this aspect of the region’s history, there …
Discovering Disaster and Hope at the Johnstown Flood National Memorial
Pennsylvania is home to four of the United States’ 30 national memorials. I’ve previously visited the Flight 93 Memorial in Somerset County, the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, and the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial, …
Discovering Altoona’s Railroading History at the Railroaders Memorial Museum
For as long as it’s been a community, Altoona has been tied to transportation. In fact, it was the Pennsylvania Railroad that founded the town in 1849, as they needed …
Uncovering PA’s Military History at the Pennsylvania Military Museum
In 1864, a group of women went to a cemetery in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, to honor their relatives that had died during the still-ongoing Civil War. After laying flowers on the …
Visiting Centre Furnace Mansion: The Birthplace of Penn State University
In Pennsylvania, there are few things bigger than Penn State. If you, like me, are not a native of Pennsylvania, it can be hard to fully comprehend its popularity, but …
Exploring Modern History at the Isett Heritage Museum in Huntingdon
Set on a peaceful stretch of land on a ridgeline above Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, the Isett Heritage Museum, also known as the Isett Acres Museum, looks unremarkable from the outside. In …