Col. Elias J. Unger, who served as manager of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, built this house in the mid-1880s. From here he had a commanding view of the club's lake and dam.
On May 31, 1889, Unger supervised a group of laborers in a desperate attempt to save the dam. Defeated by the waters, Unger trudged back up the hill to his house and collapsed as the flood wave roared toward Johnstown.
The aging Unger House and property were added to Johnstown Flood National Memorial in 1981 to help preserve the historic scene. The house had been abandoned for more than a decade, but the National Park Service was able to save most of the house and return it to its 1889 appearance. Restoration work was completed in 1989, 100 years after the great flood.
"Thursday night when I went to bed the water was no higher than usual; but it rained that night, and when I rose in the morning the water was high. I went down to the dam and soon found the water in the big body rising an inch in every 10 minutes." Elias J. Unger, Pittsburgh Post interview, June 3, 1889
[Photo caption at bottom right of marker] The Unger House in October 1984, before restoration. Preservation specialists removed and replaced rotted sections of timber, and replicated missing hardware. Today the exterior looks much as it did in 1889.
[Caption at bottom left] The Unger House contains offices for park staff and is not open to the public.
Comments 0 comments