The Story of Johnstown

The Story of Johnstown, published just a year after the devastating Johnstown flood of May 1889, is considered by many to be one of the best contemporary journalistic accounts of the flood. J. J. McLaurin, who was working as a journalist for the Harrisburg Telegram, witnessed the flood firsthand and survived to write about it. His detailed account is illustrated with moving photographs of the flood’s wreckage and aftermath. It is also accompanied by a history of the area from the colonial period, which looks at the town’s early settlement and development, the Cambria Iron Company, and the construction of the ill-fated South Fork Dam on the Conemaugh River. McLaurin’s direct, poignant account of the tragic Johnstown flood and its wake is a testament not only to the historic events but also to the people affected by the disaster—both those who perished and those who survived to rebuild their community.