When the Great Flood of 1889 roared into Jonestown, Pennsylvania, it swept away the liquor house that John L. Raab successfully had operated for almost two decades. Raab was able to rebuild higher and better. He could not, however, bring back his brother and other family members who died in the watery disaster.
John Ludwig Raab was born in January 9, 1837, in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, the son of Conrad and Susanna Raab, and was educated in the excellent German school system of the time, In 1853 his family immigrated to the United States, settling in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. His father found employment hauling iron ore.
When he reached employment age, John also went to work in a steel factory, employed as a “puddler,” a skilled workman engaged in the manufacture of high-grade iron. During several years so employed, he apparently noted the propensity of his fellow workers for strong drink and decided that selling liquor was a less back-breaking and more lucrative way to make a living. Moving to Johnstown in 1865, he opened a saloon at 184-186 Washington Street. His younger brother, George, worked for him there as a bartender.
Although Raab likely was oblivious of it, he and his family were living below a “ticking time bomb” in the shape of the South Fork Dam on the Little Conemaugh River. Completed in 1853, this gravel and earthen dam was 931 feet long, 72 feet high, 270 feet thick at the base and 10 feet wide at the top. The dam diverted water from the river to supply the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal, a series of waterways eventually connecting Philadelphia with Pittsburgh. The water level behind the dam normally was maintained at 50 feet.
For 36 years the South Fork Dam served its purpose admirably. During that period John Raab’s saloon proved to be highly successful and he eventually extended his expanded his enterprise to include a wholesale business, supplying liquor to Johnstown’s saloons, restaurants and hotels. He came to own the building on Washington Street, Johnstown’s main avenue. One assumes Raab gave little thought to the South Fork Dam some 14 miles distant.
The spring of 1889, however, was abnormally wet. Late in May the skies opened up with days of extremely heavy rains. The South Fork Dam could not withstand the pressure of the water and on May 31, 1889, burst in one of the greatest disasters recorded in U.S. history. At 3:10 p.m., the dam collapsed, sending up a a roar that could be heard for miles. A wall of water from Lake Conemaugh rushed forward at 40 miles per hour, sweeping away everything in its path. No one in downstream Johnstown had any warning.
People in the path of the rushing flood waters often were crushed as their homes and other structures were swept away. Some in Johnstown were able to make it to the top floors of the few tall buildings in town. Whirlpools brought down some of those taller buildings. Among them was the Hulbert House, Johnstown’s leading hotel. Of 57 people inside only ten made it out alive. The picture that opens this post captures a particularly horrendous event when a bridge downstream from the town caught much of the debris and then proceeded to catch fire. Individuals who had survived by floating on top of the wreckage were burned to death.
Officially 2,209 people are recorded as having died in the catastrophe. Among them was Raab’s brother, George, whose daughter Norma and son John also were swept away by the wall of water. Another victim was an Elizabeth Raab, whose body was recovered at nearby Millville. She also may have been a relative. Some have contended that many remains were never found, believing that the Johnstown flood claimed as many as 5,000 lives. The pain of loss for John and other Raab family members must have been intense.
Bringing assistance from all over America and many foreign countries, the disaster left a giant rebuilding effort. Raab’s Washington Street headquarters had been swept away in the torrent. A newspaper illustration, shown here may have caught some of the liquor dealer’s loss. Note the whiskey barrel at left bottom. Was the man shown stopped by armed guards there to loot it?
Clearing the debris from the site on Washington Street, Raab rebuilt at the same location. Shown here, the building’s address subsequently was changed to 434 Washington Street. The liquor house name became John Raab & Sons. In 1860 Raab had married Elizabeth “Annie” Vomhoff, daughter of George Vomhoff. The ceremony took place in the Vomhoff home officiated by the pastor of the local Lutheran Church. The couple is recorded as having 13 children over the next 20 years, although genealogical accounts differ sharply on details. As they matured, two of Raab’s sons were employed in the liquor house, Henry J., born in 1863, and Charles V. in 1872.
Shown here is a photograph of the interior of the Raabs’ new establishment. Note the multiple barrels, each apparently labeled regarding the content. The room was decorated by the large chandelier at the center. My guess is that the individuals posing for the camera are employees, several likely are family members. Unable to find a photo of John Raab, I speculate that the gent in a vest is he.
Also difficult to find are artifacts that advertise the liquor house. The exceptions are a shot glass and a cork screw. Both would have been given to the saloons, restaurants and hotels carrying the liquor brands featured by the Raabs. Neither were particularly expensive giveaway items. Their shot glass, rather than being incised or enameled, is an over-print. The label understandably has eroded over time.
After the death of his wife, Elizabeth earlier that year, in December 1896 John Raab’s own health began to fail. He continued as usual at the liquor house. While working there late in one evening he was overcome with severe stomach pains. Taken home, he declined overnight despite medical attention and died the following morning. His funeral was held in the family home, officiated by the pastor of the German Lutheran Church. Raab was buried in Johnstown’s Grand View Cemetery next to Elizabeth.
The liquor house that John Raab had built — and rebuilt — continued for 22 years under the leadership of Henry and Charles Raab, later employing other family members. By that time the Great Flood of 1889 was only a memory. Now a new catastrophe called National Prohibition had inundated an entire Nation. After more than a half century the liquor house John Raab created and nurtured was forced to shut its doors.
Note: The story of John Raab recommended itself to me because he sustained both personal and business losses in the Johnstown Flood of 1889, yet rebounded to rebuild his business and provide a future for his family. Raab’s newspaper obituaries contributed personal information. I am hopeful a descendent will have a picture of John Raab to add to this post.
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