On May 31, 1889, a 35-foot-high wall of water, set loose by days of rain and a failed dam, rushed into the city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, setting off one of the worst natural disasters ever seen in the United States. In its wake, most of the town was destroyed and more than 2,200 lives were lost, including 400 children under the age of 10 and 99 entire families.

A visit to Johnstown on Memorial Day is especially poignant, as the holiday of remembrance falls near the anniversary of the flood. On Memorial Day, for example, people gather at the Plot of the Unknowns in Johnstown's Grandview Cemetery, where 777 unidentified flood victims are interred. While in town, be sure to stop in at the Johnstown Flood Museum & National Memorial. At the memorial you can visit the place where the great flood began, including the remains of the dam, while the nearby Johnstown Flood Museum tells the story of the tragic 1889 flood through photographs, exhibits and artifacts.