Johnstown

Johnstown
/jonz"town'/, n.
a city in SW Pennsylvania: disastrous flood 1889. 35,496.

* * *

      city, seat (1838) of Fulton county, east-central New York, U.S. It lies near the Mohawk River, adjoining Gloversville, 43 miles (69 km) northwest of Albany. It was founded in 1762 by pioneer and colonial administrator Sir William Johnson (Johnson, Sir William, 1st Baronet), whose baronial home, Johnson Hall (1762), is preserved. Drumm House and Tryon County Court House also date from the colonial period. A minor battle of the American Revolution was fought there on October 25, 1781, six days after the Battle of Yorktown (Yorktown, Siege of). Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Stanton, Elizabeth Cady), the pioneer suffragist, was born at Johnstown in 1815. Glove making is an important industry; paint, electronic test equipment, and knitted textiles also are produced. The city is the seat of Fulton-Montgomery Community College (founded 1963), part of the State University of New York (New York, State University of (SUNY)) system. Inc. village, 1808; city, 1895. Pop. (1990) 9,058; (2000) 8,511.

 city, Cambria county, southwestern Pennsylvania, U.S. It lies at the confluence of the Conemaugh River and Stony Creek, 76 miles (122 km) east of Pittsburgh. Johnstown is the centre of a metropolitan area comprising more than 60 townships and boroughs.

      The area was the site of a Shawnee and Delaware Indian village before Joseph Johns, a Swiss Mennonite, founded the town in 1800. It was first known as Conemaugh (the old Indian name) until renamed in 1834 to honour the founder. Johnstown first became important as the western terminus of the Allegheny Portage Railroad (1831–34), a series of inclined planes whereby Pennsylvania Canal barges were transported piggyback on railway cars for 36 miles (58 km) over the Allegheny Mountains. In 1861 use of the Kelly converter (for converting iron to steel) spurred the growth of Johnstown's steel industry, which developed the nation's first blooming mill (used to reduce the size of steel ingots) and produced the first American-made steel rails. By 1873 Johnstown had become a leading American steelmaking centre.

      The city was the victim of a disastrous flood in 1889. At 3:10 PM on May 31, the South Fork Dam, a poorly maintained earthfill dam holding a major upstream reservoir, collapsed after heavy rains, sending a great wall of water rushing down the Conemaugh River valley at speeds of 20 to 40 miles (32 to 64 km) per hour. At 4:07 PM, the wall of water 30 feet (9 metres) high smashed into Johnstown, which lay on the floodplain of the Conemaugh. The flood swept away most of the northern half of the city, killing 2,209 people and destroying 1,600 homes. Grandview Cemetery contains the graves of more than 700 unidentified victims. The Johnstown Flood National Memorial (established 1964) preserves the site of the old dam, and the Johnstown Flood Museum is in the city. After another disastrous flood in 1936, a flood-control program was completed (1943), but this did not prevent heavy flooding in July 1977 in which more than 80 people were killed.

      Johnstown's modern industries include coal mining, the production of clothing and speciality steel, and the manufacture of freight cars. The Johnstown branch of the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, University of) was founded in 1927. Inc. city, 1898. Pop. (2000) city, 23,906; Johnstown MSA, 232,621; (2006 est.) city, 22,539; Johnstown MSA, 225,475.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Johnstown — may refer to: Places In Canada: * Johnstown, OntarioIn the Republic of Ireland: *Johnstown, County Dublin *Johnstown, County Kildare *Johnstown, County Kilkenny *Johnstown, County Meath *Johnstown, County LeitrimIn the United States of America: * …   Wikipedia

  • Johnstown — Johnstown, WY U.S. Census Designated Place in Wyoming Population (2000): 236 Housing Units (2000): 100 Land area (2000): 31.451972 sq. miles (81.460231 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.680260 sq. miles (1.761865 sq. km) Total area (2000): 32.132232… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Johnstown — ist der Name verschiedener Orte in den Vereinigten Staaten: Johnstown (Arkansas) Johnstown (Colorado) Johnstown (Maryland) Johnstown (Nebraska) Johnstown (New York) Johnstown (Ohio) Johnstown (Pennsylvania) Johnstown (South Carolina) Johnstown… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Johnstown, CO — U.S. town in Colorado Population (2000): 3827 Housing Units (2000): 1371 Land area (2000): 1.143761 sq. miles (2.962326 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.143761 sq. miles (2.962326 sq. km) FIPS… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Johnstown, NE — U.S. village in Nebraska Population (2000): 53 Housing Units (2000): 35 Land area (2000): 0.526008 sq. miles (1.362355 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.526008 sq. miles (1.362355 sq. km) FIPS… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Johnstown, NY — U.S. city in New York Population (2000): 8511 Housing Units (2000): 3979 Land area (2000): 4.860401 sq. miles (12.588379 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.006492 sq. miles (0.016814 sq. km) Total area (2000): 4.866893 sq. miles (12.605193 sq. km) FIPS …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Johnstown, OH — U.S. village in Ohio Population (2000): 3440 Housing Units (2000): 1453 Land area (2000): 2.093780 sq. miles (5.422864 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 2.093780 sq. miles (5.422864 sq. km) FIPS… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Johnstown, PA — U.S. city in Pennsylvania Population (2000): 23906 Housing Units (2000): 12802 Land area (2000): 5.834975 sq. miles (15.112516 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.247869 sq. miles (0.641979 sq. km) Total area (2000): 6.082844 sq. miles (15.754495 sq.… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Johnstown, WY — U.S. Census Designated Place in Wyoming Population (2000): 236 Housing Units (2000): 100 Land area (2000): 31.451972 sq. miles (81.460231 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.680260 sq. miles (1.761865 sq. km) Total area (2000): 32.132232 sq. miles… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Johnstown —   [ dʒɔnztaʊn], Stadt in Südwestpennsylvania, USA, im Alleghenyplateau, 28 100 Einwohner; Steinkohlenbergbau und Stahlindustriezentrum, chemische, Textil , Möbelindustrie.   Geschichte:   Johnstown wurde 1800 gegründet.   …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Johnstown — (spr. Dschonstaun), 1) District in der Provinz Ober od. West Canada (Britisches Nordamerika) am Lorenzostrom, vom Ottawa Kanal durchschnitten; Producte: Weizen, Roggen, Gerste, Hafer, Rindvieh, Pferde. Schweine, Schafe; …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”