Red Cross Flag from Johnstown Flood 37 x 53 inches, 1889

The Johnstown Flood - 1889

After the Johnstown Flood, flags marked the position of relief stations, including Red Cross Hotels such as this one which provided lodging free-of-charge to disaster victims. The Johnstown Flood challenged Clara Barton's and 50 other relief workers' ability to deal with a large-scale, man-made catastrophe.

Unusually heavy spring rains, and the break of a dam located 10 miles away, devastated two small communities near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in May 1889. More than 2,000 people died. The newly created American Red Cross, led by Clara Barton, administered a program that provided $500,000 in relief to the area.