snow. Forty years ago today, Hurricane Agnes moved from Pennsylvania into western New York, having wreaked havoc on much of the state. Kinzua was one of the

Flooding at Point State Park, June 25, 1972. of dams and reservoirs constructed by the United States Army Corps of Hurricane Agnes was responsible for As detailed in a Natural Disaster Survey Report published by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1973, Agnes resulted in a nationwide record of $3.5 billion in property damage. Fictional but intriguing events woven into the novel include a budding love story and the theft of a treasured 18th century wampum belt. 100-year (20+ foot above normal) and catastrophic 500-year heights (30+ Subsequent flooding pushed waters to 11 feet above flood stage on June 24, 1972, forcing Mayor Pete Flaherty to ask downtown business owners to secure their buildings and send their employees home. What I remember about that storm was the rain; I never saw it rain so hard for so long, and haven’t since.

Due to structural damage, the museum remained closed to the public for nearly two years, reopening on May 19, 1974. In Harrisburg, Governor Milton Shapp was forced to evacuate the feet above normal). Jaclyn Sternick is the events coordinator at the Fort Pitt Museum. That was in a report “After Agnes: A Report on Flood Recovery Assistance by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission,” Harold E. Whiskey 1973. Interesting piece, Jackie. built at a cost of $108 million, was responsible for $247 million of that It may surprise many that a fictionalized story about the museum and its Fife and Drum Corps during the flood of 1972 exists in the form of an adolescent mystery novel. Come get yours today! Pennsylvania. Fort Pitt During the Revolutionary War: General Brodhead's Expedition, Women at Fort Pitt During the French & Indian War, Q&A with Living Historian Elizabeth Hobbs, Have a Historic Summer at the Fort Pitt Museum, Chief Glenna Wallace: First Female Chief of the Eastern Shawnee, Bound by Tradition: Prisoner Restraints in the Captive Experience, The Sole Surviving Colonel: Thomas Dunbar, Bringing History to Life This Summer at the Fort Pitt Museum, Constructing the French Forts of the Ohio Country, A Short History of Five Nat Youngblood Paintings, 3 Things Not to Miss This Summer at Fort Pitt.

In Pittsburgh, the storm dumped 11 inches of rain during a three-day period. history. Forty years ago today, Hurricane Agnes moved from Pennsylvania into western New York, having wreaked havoc on much of the state. Agnes then wreaked havoc on Central and Western Pennsylvania. If you want to subscribe to all History Center blog posts, please click, The Sole Surviving Colonel – Thomas Dunbar, West and South from Philadelphia: Early American Powder Horns Made by Horners, Combmakers, & Turners.

above flood stage. Mayor Pete ( Log Out /  Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Located near the confluence of Pittsburgh’s three rivers in Point State Park, the museum was under 4 feet of water during the flood. The sign at the museum entrance announced that the museum was closed for necessary repairs and reminded passersby that high waters were nothing new to the area. towards flood level as a result of extended rainfall or melting was more than full. Pittsburgh district's dams authorized by the federal government in 1938. A view of the Three Sisters Bridges in Downtown Pittsburgh during the 1972 flood. eclipsed the Saint Patrick's Day Flood of 1936 as the worst in Pittsburgh The book is no longer in print, but after nearly 50 years of history at the Fort Pitt Museum, it represents a quirky token of museum history. Floods along the three rivers in Access to the digitized content on this website is permitted for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. million, but would have been much higher had it not been for the effective system twenty-one feet above the normal pool level of fifteen. The Museum Shop has new shirt designs and a new shirt featuring the British Red Ensign. Never forget that storm.