austindamdisaster

From www.coudy.com/Austin/Austin-dam.htm Austin, a quiet town in Potter County between St. Marys and Coudersport, holds the distinction of having survived the second-worst flood disaster in Pennsylvania's history. On Sept. 30, 1911, at 2:29 in the afternoon, the Bayliss Dam burst. The floodwaters engulfed the town of 2,000 inhabitants, leaving 78 dead and a mass of wreckage in its wake.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Dam

explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-3D

This photograph is part of the (especially entertaining) Indicommons.org "across the Commons" feature Dam It!

This is just amazing to see what the area looked like back then. I saw the remains of the dam sometime around 15 years ago for the first time and have been intrigued ever since. Making a park there can help people, especially children, learn some history. I got to show my children last fall when the leaves were changing on the way back from the Grand Canyon. How beautiful.

Austin, a quiet town in Potter County between St. Marys and Coudersport, holds the distinction of having survived the second-worst flood disaster in Pennsylvania's history. On Sept. 30, 1911, at 2:29 in the afternoon, the Bayliss Dam burst. The floodwaters engulfed the town of 2,000 inhabitants, leaving 78 dead and a mass of wreckage in its wake. While the devastation caused by the Johnstown Flood is remembered through films, memorials and museums, the tragedy at Austin faded into obscurity.

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Beauty in a Tragedy, and we'd love to have this added to the group!