Austin Dam Memorial Park

Austin Dam Memorial Park

Austin Dam Memorial Park
4.5
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles36 reviews
Excellent
18
Very good
18
Average
0
Poor
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Terrible
0

runner24
Orlando, FL2,287 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
This is the result when plan reviews and dam inspections simply did not exist. The owner apparently had engineered plans drawn but decided on his own to remove some of the steel, reduce the width, and omitted a subgrade wall that would have reduced water seepage under the dam and helped hold it in place. You can look at the edge of the broken sections and see the individual concrete pours with no steel visible. It's steel that holds things together, not concrete. Apparently, the owner was more interested in reducing costs than structural integrity. In addition, he ignored warnings that the dam was under stress. I guess, back then in 1911, they didn't have lawyers laying in wait for something like this. The result was 78 people killed in the unsuspecting village below. Truly tragic.
Written 16 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bigamus
Boston, MA258 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 • Family
The Austin Dam tragedy was an unexpected and sobering experience and well worth the time if you are in the area. The park provides you with enough background to understand what happened there that day in 1911, and it offers a nice open space to reflect on those events. The park is free although it relies on donations to maintain the area. I highly recommend this if you’re in the Pennsylvania Wilds.
Written 12 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robert T
Scranton, PA83 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2024 • Family
Never heard of this area before but while visiting for Cherry Springs I decided to stop and check out this park. Date of visit was Oct 8, 2024. It is in a nice area. Interesting history of the dam and what happened to it. Took some photos and left. Spent about 30-45 minutes there. They have a pavilion with tables but I think it may be only for scouts or events being held there. Not sure if public could use anytime. There are a couple picnic tables in other area which public can use. Looks like a nice spot to do some fishing.
Written 24 December 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JessMDob
Perkasie, PA42 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
Very interesting park. It was a pit stop on our roadtrip. The signage was excellent as to what you were looking at and the significance of it. The hike from the lookout point down to the bottom was a little steep. If you are not comfortable with the incline keep driving to the camping area to view and walk up to the dam. The gift shop had books and knick knacks along with other information about the Austin dam disaster. Worth a stop if you are in the area both for the historical significance and the fascinating structure itself.
Written 17 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

M C
Easton, PA146 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Family
My last visit was 40 years ago and at that time all was enclosed in trees. They have cleared and created a terrific park. Hiking/interpretive trails and campsites are available. There is a pavilion with information and photos. The story is tragic and it is nice to see a memorial to lives needlessly lost.
Written 16 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

zodreb
New York City, NY188 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
This is an extremely interesting site to visit and I think it's worth the time to go. The trail behind the dam is good for most of it, but the last quarter end of the trail is rough. Not so much a trail as a blazed direction of where you should walk, the ground is very uneven. However, the stuff you see on the trail is great. The drive to the parking lot is down a narrow road, so it's one of those mildly difficult places to drive to that is awkward if someone is driving the opposite direction. Fortunately we were there alone. The drive passes by the entire trail. Also this site is right by the highway so you are going to hear mild road noise for the entire visit. There are port o potties. There is a real bathroom building but it was not open when we arrived so I have no idea about it.
Written 31 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Joe G
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2020 • Couples
Highly recommend!!! Outstanding property that offers large and unique camping lots. Tons of privacy and flexibility with utilizing the lot you’ve rented. Beautiful hikes and we caught 20 + trout while fishing at the base of the dam. It was absolutely incredible. The people there are so friendly and helpful... be sure to ask for Brad. He was the best! Will definitely be back and can’t wait .
Written 26 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

copperdragon66
Pittsburgh, PA640 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2017 • Solo
Austin Dam Memorial Park is a beautiful park memorializing a Sept 30, 1911 event that still ranks as one of the worst dam failures in US history. 78 people lost their lives as the poorly constructed and ill maintained dam released about 200 million gallons of water. This flowed about a mile through the valley and inundated the town of Austin.

Check out the official web site. The site is open year round although in the summer there is a gift shop staffed by the Austin Dam Memorial Association. I was also surprised to find that when near the gift shop (closed when I visited) they had free WiFi. The visitor center/gift shop had a sign stating they were open F-M (weekends only) 10-4 during the summer.

I visited in the winter, on an unusually warm and sunny February day, and had the park to myself. If you visit in winter, just be aware that the entrance road is not winter maintained. While the road was pitted and a little slushy when I visited, the Austin Dam Memorial Association has just recently put in drainage and road improvements so you should have no trouble on the one mile entrance drive.

When visiting, you'll probably pass through the small town of Austin, and the drive out to the dam takes you past the remains of the old paper mill, the business responsible for the badly constructed dam. There was an impromptu pullout along the road, with an interpretive sign worth five minutes of your time. You will also pass the remains of the dam, but there is no good place to pull off the road. Don't compromise your safety by trying to stop here, drive on to the entrance, about another mile.

When turning into the entrance, you cross a small creek and then turn left into the entrance drive. It's hard to believe that such a small creek could lead to such a catastrophe, but it did. Driving on for about 3/4 mile, there is an excellent pullout with interpretive signs and a nice lookout over the dam remains from above. Worth a five minute stop.

Continue on to the campground/pavilion where you'll find a gravel parking lot. From here, it's about 100 yard walk to the dam remains. There are several unmarked trails going into, and around the large crumbling concrete dam remains. A warning sign tells you not to climb on the remains and seeing the exposed rebar and crumbling concrete, I had to agree that climbing on the ruins was a bad idea.

Right in front of the dam is a granite memorial listing the 78 names of the people who were killed when the dam failed.

One path on the far right led right to the edge of Freeman Run, the stream responsible for the tragedy. Today, it's a beautiful spot to contemplate nature, in warm weather, maybe a good place to put your feet in the water, shaded by the towering dam walls.

I walked around the pavilion and campground. There is an outdoor stage and a sign said that occasionally concerts and other events take place in the summer. Near the pavilion was a rack of leaflets and I read about the history of the dam and the disaster, and about other local attractions. There was an ample restroom which appeared to have running water and possibly showers, but it was all locked up for the winter.

If you're in the area, this spot is well worth your time. It's peaceful, lovely and pays respectful tribute to the people who lost their lives a mile downstream..
Written 29 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Stacie C
State College, Pennsylvania128 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2014 • Couples
A total of 78 people were killed when this dam collapsed more than 100 years ago. You can drive right down to the base of the dam. Standing there and seeing how the power of the raging waters moved the massive sections of the dam that still stand is a sobering experience.
Written 31 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LoveAGreatBnB
Lambertville, NJ443 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2014 • Couples
This is a very interesting site. The Austin Dam was built in 1909 for a paper mill. In 1911 the dam broke, releasing over 400,000,000 gallons of water, and destroyed much of the town of Austin and everything in its path for 8 miles. At least 78 people died. We took the extremely rutted road down to see the ruins of the dam; I'm not sure this would work for all vehicles, but we proceeded with caution. It was interesting to see what was left of the dam. The town of Austin has a historical society, which had just closed when we arrived; but the kind staff member opened it up so I could purchase a book on the dam and the flood; the book was available for about eight dollars and it was well worth the purchase. This is worth seeing, and stopping by the historical Society, if you're in the area.
Written 10 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Austin Dam Memorial Park

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