Dark fantasy author Caitlín R. Kiernan made the Johnstown Flood the central focus of her 1994 short story, "To This Water (Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 1889)," which appears in her collection, Tales of Pain and Wonder. In the story, the flood serves as a catalyst for revenge in what is essentially a ghost story.
Bruce Springsteen's song "Highway Patrolman" from the Nebraska album (1982) references the event. The narrator of the song and his brother take turns "dancing with Maria, as the band played 'Night of the Johnstown Flood.'" Johnny Cash has also covered Springsteen's song.
Catherine Marshall wrote a historical fiction novel Julie about a teenage girl in a small Pennsylvania town below an earthen dam not properly maintained by the Hunting and Fishing Club. Although set in the 1930s instead of 1889, this is a much researched account of the Johnstown Flood.
Brian Booker's short story A Drowning Accident, published by the literary periodical One Story (Issue #57, May 30, 2005) was largely based on and influenced by the Johnstown Flood of 1889.[7]
Murray Leinster had his two time travellers unable to convince the Johnstown population of the coming disaster in his 1966 novel 'The Time Tunnel'.
The Johnstown Flood is mentioned in Rudyard Kipling's book Captains Courageous as the disaster that wiped out Pennsylvania Pratt's family causing his mind to give out. He briefly returns to reality, becoming his former self and recalling the disaster when a steamship runs down another fishing boat.
Pulitzer prize-winning historian David McCullough devotes an entire volume to the disaster in his book The Johnstown Flood.
Michael Dudek, a Johnstown resident and author, references the Johnstown Flood in his book "The Fairytale of the Morley Dog". The book is a fantasy about M. Morley's dog (famous to Johnstown residents) and his adventures. In the book, the dog is claimed to be seen saving children from the flood waters. A statue of M. Morley's dog, "Johnstown's best friend," used to stand in a park at the corner of Main and Market Streets. The statue has been removed for restoration.
The foreseen flood figured prominently in the plot of Paul Mark Tag's novel Prophecy.
Marden A. Dahlstedt, a young readers' author, wrote one girl's account of the flood in her 1972 book, "The Terrible Wave".
The flood was also the subject of William McGonagall's poem The Pennsylvania Disaster.[1]
The flood was also mentioned in John Jakes' "The Americans," the final installment of The Kent Family Chronicles. Elenor and Leo find themselves in Johnstown when the flood takes place and Jakes gives an account of the experience of those in the town during the 24 hours prior to the flood, during the flood, and shortly after the flood.
It is the main topic of the Peg Kehret book The Flood Disaster. In the book, two students are assigned a project on The Johnstown Flood. They travel back in time using a time traveling device called the instant commuter to see the flood in person and help them with their project. Things go terribly wrong, however, when they become stuck in 1889 during the flood.
It is the main topic of the Peg Kehret book Valley of Disaster: The Johnstown Flood of 1889.
There is a version of "The Johnstown Flood" on my CD of field recordings titled Brave Boys, New England Traditions in Folk Music, a project I did for New World Records some years ago. I collected this broadside ballad from Mack Moody, a farm laborer in Huntington, Vermont.
THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD
as sung by Mack Moody, Huntington, Vermont, 1963
'Twas on a balmy day in May, and the sun shone far away,
And the birds were sweetly singing in the skies above.
There a city stood serene in a valley both rich and green,
Where thousands dwelt in happiness and love.
Now the scenes are changed, just like up on the range,
And the flood came rushing through that quiet town.
The wind it raved and shrieked, thunder rolled and the lightning streaked,
And the rain it poured an awful torrent down.
A cry of distress rose from east to the west;
Our dear old country now is plunged for woe.
Many people were burnt and drowned in the city of Johnstown,
And were lost in the great overflow.
Now, like a Paul Revere of old, came a rider both brave and bold,
On a big bay horse he's flyin' like a deer,
Giving warning shrills, "Quickly! Fly up to the hills!"
But the people smiled and showed no signs of fear.
Ears they were turned away. Both the rider and his bay,
And the many thousand lives he tried to save,
They had no time to spare, or to offer up a prayer,
But were hurled at once into a watery grave.
"The Jamestown Flood" in DT is that in Louise Pound's 'American Ballads and Songs', 1922 (reprinted 1972). It was collected in Lincoln, Nebr., in 1917, but notes say nothing about a tune for it, and none is given.
THE JAMESTOWN FLOOD
Is it news you ask for, strangers, as you stand and gaze around
At those cold and lifeless bodies lying here upon the ground?
Do you see that lady yonder, with the little girl and boy?
That's my wife, my darling Minnie, once my household pride and joy.
Just an hour ago I brought them from the river's fatal tide,
Laid them here where now you see them, all together side by side.
Strangers, if you'll turn to listen to my story long and sad,
You'll confess it is no wonder that today I'm almost mad.
We were seated at the table chatting in a happy mood,
When we heard a mighty rushing like some great and awful flood,
Nearer! nearer! came the water, till at last it reached our home,
O the horror of the moment when we realized our doom!
Not one moment did we tarry, but with cheeks and brow aglow
Climbed we to the topmost chamber for how long I do not know,
Then I clasped my wife and children to my chilled and aching heart
For I saw that soon or later we would surely have to part.
Faster, faster rushed the waters; tighter, tighter grew my grasp
Til a wave of mud and fury tore both children from my clasp
Then my wife grew faint and trembly, cold and white her marble brow,
One low whisper, scarcely spoken; "You are all that's left me now.
"Let your ams enfold, me, husband, lay your head upon my breast,
O, our children, may he guide them to a place of peace and rest;
May he spare you to me, darling, to protect" -- But while she spoke
Downward rushed a mighty current and my deathlike grasp was broke.
Down she went, my last sweet darling, she my true and loving wife,
She had been my joy and comfort all along the path of life.
Just as in a dream I stood there till at last a shout I heard,
From some men who stood above me, "Grasp the rope, we'll help you out."
And before night's sable curtain spread across the angry wave
I was drawn above and rescued from a cold and watery grave,
But my darling wife and children floated on till one by one
They were found and carried to me, but their work on earth was done.
Sad and mournful as I stood there, saw no signs of life or breath;
O'er my heart fell deep dark shadows as I saw them cold in death.
And a flood of thought came o'er me, overwhelming mind and heart,
And my soul cried out within me, "O my loved ones, must we part?
Fare thee well, my wife and children, in my heart you'll ever be
Till I too shall cross the river where we will united be,
Then we'll have the joy of loving as we never loved before,
Where no hearts are chilled and broken, in the sweet forevermore."
Source: Louise Pound, American Ballads and Songs (1922 reprinted 1972, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York)
So basically its a folk song that many people sang, no one real artist released it claimed it as there own.
and yes i do have to much time to myself.... hope that helps.
[cite]Posted By: stonemuse[/cite]I've got the album 'Brave Boys: New England Traditions in Folk Music' - it's actually pretty good.
Has it got Johnstown flood on it and can you burn/sent me a copy?
Ta
Henry, got a download version and presume I should be able to get a copy to you - and it has got Johnstown Flood . However going to be on my way to Jamaica this afternoon so will sort it when I get back in a couple of weeks. Give me a reminder just in case.
[cite]Posted By: kentred2[/cite]Richard Bennett version on itunes but seems to be different lyrics
Cheers
[cite]Posted By: stonemuse[/cite]
[cite]
Henry, got a download version and presume I should be able to get a copy to you - and it has got Johnstown Flood . However going to be on my way to Jamaica this afternoon so will sort it when I get back in a couple of weeks. Give me a reminder just in case.
The Canadian alt-country band Oh Susanna recorded an entire album - a concept , no less - of songs about the Johnstown flood circa 1999. I reviewed it in Uncut at the time and gave it four stars.
But I think they got the idea after hearing the line on Springsteen's Nebraska album...
Can't say I've listened to it much since, Stonemuse. But they were/are a great band - Johnstown was their debut and I reviewed a couple more albums by them after that very favourably,too. Also saw them live at Shep Bush Empire, supporting Lucinda Willams, and they were excellent...
Nebraska, IMO, is the worst album ever put out by Springsteen (who is 60, BTW). I'll go a step further and say that it is his only bad album.
Have a friend who grew up in Johnstown, PA. It is an old steel workers city in western Pennsylvania that has seen better days (one of the reasons why she now lives in Maryland), although the night of the great flood was not one of them.
Many of the buildings that still stand from the flood have markers on them signifying how high the water rose.
Tough when your city is only known for a disaster.
Maybe they should have renamed it Waterloo. Then it would be an Abba song.
Comments
;o)
I didn't go. Master Chef was on TV
Flood link
Dark fantasy author Caitlín R. Kiernan made the Johnstown Flood the central focus of her 1994 short story, "To This Water (Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 1889)," which appears in her collection, Tales of Pain and Wonder. In the story, the flood serves as a catalyst for revenge in what is essentially a ghost story.
Bruce Springsteen's song "Highway Patrolman" from the Nebraska album (1982) references the event. The narrator of the song and his brother take turns "dancing with Maria, as the band played 'Night of the Johnstown Flood.'" Johnny Cash has also covered Springsteen's song.
Catherine Marshall wrote a historical fiction novel Julie about a teenage girl in a small Pennsylvania town below an earthen dam not properly maintained by the Hunting and Fishing Club. Although set in the 1930s instead of 1889, this is a much researched account of the Johnstown Flood.
Brian Booker's short story A Drowning Accident, published by the literary periodical One Story (Issue #57, May 30, 2005) was largely based on and influenced by the Johnstown Flood of 1889.[7]
Murray Leinster had his two time travellers unable to convince the Johnstown population of the coming disaster in his 1966 novel 'The Time Tunnel'.
The Johnstown Flood is mentioned in Rudyard Kipling's book Captains Courageous as the disaster that wiped out Pennsylvania Pratt's family causing his mind to give out. He briefly returns to reality, becoming his former self and recalling the disaster when a steamship runs down another fishing boat.
Pulitzer prize-winning historian David McCullough devotes an entire volume to the disaster in his book The Johnstown Flood.
Michael Dudek, a Johnstown resident and author, references the Johnstown Flood in his book "The Fairytale of the Morley Dog". The book is a fantasy about M. Morley's dog (famous to Johnstown residents) and his adventures. In the book, the dog is claimed to be seen saving children from the flood waters. A statue of M. Morley's dog, "Johnstown's best friend," used to stand in a park at the corner of Main and Market Streets. The statue has been removed for restoration.
The foreseen flood figured prominently in the plot of Paul Mark Tag's novel Prophecy.
Marden A. Dahlstedt, a young readers' author, wrote one girl's account of the flood in her 1972 book, "The Terrible Wave".
The flood was also the subject of William McGonagall's poem The Pennsylvania Disaster.[1]
The flood was also mentioned in John Jakes' "The Americans," the final installment of The Kent Family Chronicles. Elenor and Leo find themselves in Johnstown when the flood takes place and Jakes gives an account of the experience of those in the town during the 24 hours prior to the flood, during the flood, and shortly after the flood.
It is the main topic of the Peg Kehret book The Flood Disaster. In the book, two students are assigned a project on The Johnstown Flood. They travel back in time using a time traveling device called the instant commuter to see the flood in person and help them with their project. Things go terribly wrong, however, when they become stuck in 1889 during the flood.
It is the main topic of the Peg Kehret book Valley of Disaster: The Johnstown Flood of 1889.
[edit] Notes
There is a version of "The Johnstown Flood" on my CD of field recordings titled Brave Boys, New England Traditions in Folk Music, a project I did for New World Records some years ago. I collected this broadside ballad from Mack Moody, a farm laborer in Huntington, Vermont.
THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD
as sung by Mack Moody, Huntington, Vermont, 1963
'Twas on a balmy day in May, and the sun shone far away,
And the birds were sweetly singing in the skies above.
There a city stood serene in a valley both rich and green,
Where thousands dwelt in happiness and love.
Now the scenes are changed, just like up on the range,
And the flood came rushing through that quiet town.
The wind it raved and shrieked, thunder rolled and the lightning streaked,
And the rain it poured an awful torrent down.
A cry of distress rose from east to the west;
Our dear old country now is plunged for woe.
Many people were burnt and drowned in the city of Johnstown,
And were lost in the great overflow.
Now, like a Paul Revere of old, came a rider both brave and bold,
On a big bay horse he's flyin' like a deer,
Giving warning shrills, "Quickly! Fly up to the hills!"
But the people smiled and showed no signs of fear.
Ears they were turned away. Both the rider and his bay,
And the many thousand lives he tried to save,
They had no time to spare, or to offer up a prayer,
But were hurled at once into a watery grave.
"The Jamestown Flood" in DT is that in Louise Pound's 'American Ballads and Songs', 1922 (reprinted 1972). It was collected in Lincoln, Nebr., in 1917, but notes say nothing about a tune for it, and none is given.
THE JAMESTOWN FLOOD
Is it news you ask for, strangers, as you stand and gaze around
At those cold and lifeless bodies lying here upon the ground?
Do you see that lady yonder, with the little girl and boy?
That's my wife, my darling Minnie, once my household pride and joy.
Just an hour ago I brought them from the river's fatal tide,
Laid them here where now you see them, all together side by side.
Strangers, if you'll turn to listen to my story long and sad,
You'll confess it is no wonder that today I'm almost mad.
We were seated at the table chatting in a happy mood,
When we heard a mighty rushing like some great and awful flood,
Nearer! nearer! came the water, till at last it reached our home,
O the horror of the moment when we realized our doom!
Not one moment did we tarry, but with cheeks and brow aglow
Climbed we to the topmost chamber for how long I do not know,
Then I clasped my wife and children to my chilled and aching heart
For I saw that soon or later we would surely have to part.
Faster, faster rushed the waters; tighter, tighter grew my grasp
Til a wave of mud and fury tore both children from my clasp
Then my wife grew faint and trembly, cold and white her marble brow,
One low whisper, scarcely spoken; "You are all that's left me now.
"Let your ams enfold, me, husband, lay your head upon my breast,
O, our children, may he guide them to a place of peace and rest;
May he spare you to me, darling, to protect" -- But while she spoke
Downward rushed a mighty current and my deathlike grasp was broke.
Down she went, my last sweet darling, she my true and loving wife,
She had been my joy and comfort all along the path of life.
Just as in a dream I stood there till at last a shout I heard,
From some men who stood above me, "Grasp the rope, we'll help you out."
And before night's sable curtain spread across the angry wave
I was drawn above and rescued from a cold and watery grave,
But my darling wife and children floated on till one by one
They were found and carried to me, but their work on earth was done.
Sad and mournful as I stood there, saw no signs of life or breath;
O'er my heart fell deep dark shadows as I saw them cold in death.
And a flood of thought came o'er me, overwhelming mind and heart,
And my soul cried out within me, "O my loved ones, must we part?
Fare thee well, my wife and children, in my heart you'll ever be
Till I too shall cross the river where we will united be,
Then we'll have the joy of loving as we never loved before,
Where no hearts are chilled and broken, in the sweet forevermore."
Source: Louise Pound, American Ballads and Songs (1922 reprinted 1972, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York)
So basically its a folk song that many people sang, no one real artist released it claimed it as there own.
and yes i do have to much time to myself.... hope that helps.
now only have to track the song down.
Try here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brave-Boys-England-Traditions-Music/dp/B0000030FD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1234355206&sr=1-1
When it is in your possesion, post a review on here on Jam on Gerry's Rock and Fair Fanny Moore as I am intrigued.
I will
I enjoy some melancholy.
Has it got Johnstown flood on it and can you burn/sent me a copy?
Ta
All those years of following Charlton, Henry ......
;o)
Henry, got a download version and presume I should be able to get a copy to you - and it has got Johnstown Flood . However going to be on my way to Jamaica this afternoon so will sort it when I get back in a couple of weeks. Give me a reminder just in case.
Cheers
Do you still want it? if so, can meet you in East Stand at MK Dons game - will copy album to a USB flashdrive if ok.
But I think they got the idea after hearing the line on Springsteen's Nebraska album...
The Deep Dark Woods
Hang Me, Oh Hang Me - is a great tune
Have a friend who grew up in Johnstown, PA. It is an old steel workers city in western Pennsylvania that has seen better days (one of the reasons why she now lives in Maryland), although the night of the great flood was not one of them.
Many of the buildings that still stand from the flood have markers on them signifying how high the water rose.
Tough when your city is only known for a disaster.
Maybe they should have renamed it Waterloo. Then it would be an Abba song.