Stone Bridge

This is by far one of the most beautiful things in all of Johnstown. Which begs to differ, how can something so beautiful have such a deadly past?
The Stone Bridge has been in Johnstown since 1887 – 1888, built to span the Conemaugh River so that the railway could make its way to and through Johnstown. It is a thing of beauty.
Johnstown, much like Pittsburgh, is laid out with two river converging to form a third. A steep hill to the one side of Johnstown with their own inclined plane. At the meeting place of the two to form the third is a park named Point Park as well, possibly the best vantage point to view this bridge. Another good spot is Festival Park which lies across the Little Conemaugh River.
I’m sure some of you may have heard about the Great Johnstown Flood of 1889. This bridge withstood that massive wall of water that pounded the city. Good, right? What it also withstood was all the houses, farms, trees, vehicles, debris, and people pushing against the bridge along with all that water. What wasn’t great was what happened after that, in an attempt to remove that mass of items ended up starting a massive fire. Altogether combining for the deadly past part.
Along with the 1889 flood, this also withstood many more floods as well, notably are the 1936 and 1977 floods that devastated the area as well.
Enough with dwelling on the past. What they have done to it now can be summed up with the following. Michael Brosig, co-​chair of the Stone Bridge Committee, said, «The significance of the Stone Bridge is that it stood its ground against the flood waters and altered the future of Johnstown completely and forever. It created the backdrop for the event that put Johnstown on the map. Restoring the South façade of that structure and casting LED lighting on it will certainly showcase the triumph of the human spirit in a spectacular style for all to see, enjoy and be proud of their heritage.»
And a triumph it is. The lighting on the bridge changes often, they have a calendar of what event they will be lighting for in case you plan on stopping by to view it. Each setting of display is beautiful. Such a great asset for the city of Johnstown to have.