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Wagner–Ritter House & Garden

1860s architecture in the United StatesBuildings and structures in Johnstown, PennsylvaniaHistoric House Museums of the Pennsylvania GermansHistoric house museums in PennsylvaniaHouses in Cambria County, Pennsylvania
Museums in Cambria County, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania museum stubsTourist attractions in Johnstown, Pennsylvania

The Wagner–Ritter House & Garden, located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is a modest house that was occupied for 130 years by three generations of a steel worker's family, from the 1860s to the 1990s. The house and garden have been restored by the Johnstown Area Heritage Association. The historic house museum illustrates the domestic lives of this immigrant family, interpreting the home lives of the thousands who toiled in the shadow of the mill. The Wagner-Ritter House is located on Broad Street in the Cambria City neighborhood. The rooms of the house display appliances and furnishings of the 1800s as well as a 19th-century German raised bed garden. The yard contains a barn, privy, and a bake oven shelter that have been recreated based on historical and archeological evidence. The four room home was built by George and Franziska Wagner and it grew to include seven rooms after the birth of their thirteen children. This house is one of about a dozen remaining structures in this working-class neighborhood that survived the Johnstown Flood. History tells a story of the significance of the house during the flood. As the family was huddled on the second floor, they were able to drag a woman out the floodwater to safety through a window.The Johnstown Area Heritage Association also operates the Johnstown Flood Museum and the Heritage Discovery Center, which includes the Johnstown Children's Museum.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Wagner–Ritter House & Garden (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Wagner–Ritter House & Garden
Broad Street, Johnstown

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 40.33971 ° E -78.92888 °
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Address

Wagner-Ritter House

Broad Street 418
15906 Johnstown
Pennsylvania, United States
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Phone number
Johnstown Area Heritage Association

call8145391889

Website
jaha.org

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Nearby Places

Peoples Natural Gas Park

Peoples Natural Gas Park is located near the Cambria Iron National Historic Landmark at the junction of the Conemaugh and Stoneycreek Rivers and there is a view of the Stone Bridge and the Johnstown Inclined Plane. Located on 3.5 acres, the park has an outdoor pavilion that seats 600 as well as the adjacent Oilhouse that seats about 560. Funded by Peoples Natural Gas for The Johnstown Area Heritage Association.The newly completed Peoples Natural Gas Park is the home of the AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival and many other special events produced by the Johnstown Area Heritage Association (JAHA) and other organizations. The park includes landscaping, new restrooms, pathways and new sidewalks, ornamental fencing and gates around the perimeter. The music festival has been staged here with temporary infrastructure since 2004. The festival utilizes the 3.5-acre park, Walnut Street and the parking lots across from the train station. Located across the river from Point Stadium and beside the Cambria Iron National Historic Landmark, the Peoples Natural Gas Park provides a beautiful view of downtown Johnstown, including the Inclined Plane and the Johnstown Flood Museum. The park is bordered by the Johnstown Urban Greenway, and stretches to the Johns Street Bridge. The historic Stone Bridge, which has been lighted in colorful, programmable LED lights, is located at one end of the park. Every evening the bridge is lighted for three hours, beginning with a 20-minute lightshow before settling into a static scheme chosen to reflect the time of year, holidays, or special events and observances. The bridge will be lighted during festival hours, starting at dusk. Development of the Park Since the purchase of the park's land in 2004, the Johnstown Area Heritage Association has been working to develop it as a permanent home for the music festival and as a catalyst for more special events. On May 23, 2011, a naming ceremony was held to name the park for the Peoples Natural Gas Co., which has donated $500,000 toward the project. Construction began in fall 2011 and was completed in May 2012. The master plan for the park is by L.R. Kimball. The master plan was developed with input from a study committee in 2005–2006, public meetings in 2006, and individual discussions with agencies that have supported the project or might use it. Primary contractors on the project are Wilson Construction Inc., Mervac Plumbing & Heating, Inc., Church & Murdock Electric, Inc. and JWF Industries. Park Financing A $2 million matching grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Project was awarded to JAHA in spring 2008 for the park's development. In 2011, the Peoples Natural Gas donation completed the match. Several other major grants made the project possible, including a $100,000 grant from the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation. The Johnstown Redevelopment Authority provided matching Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Cleanup funds. Also, the authority was instrumental in undertaking the environmental assessment of the park and obtaining PA DEP Environmental Clearance. A grant for design costs was obtained from the Community Conservation Program, Growing Greener Fund, administered by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. A $100,000 grant from Mark Pasquerilla assisted with initial improvements to the property, which included the removal of underground gas tanks and installation of utility infrastructure. Other donors to the park include William Polacek; the Southwestern Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission; JAHA's board of directors; and other supporters and friends of JAHA.