There’s a national memorial in our region that is drawing more than 300,000 visitors a year – and I’m not talking about the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville.
Not that Flight 93 doesn’t draw more than 300,000 visitors annually. Visitation at that national memorial has been growing steadily for years and exceeded 380,000 in 2016, the 15th anniversary of 9/11.
What surprised me was the statistic showing that the Johnstown Flood National Memorial near St. Michael drew more than 312,000visitors last year. And Fort Necessity National Battlefield was close behind at 290,000.
Altogether, the five National Park Service sites in the Alleghenies (which also include Allegheny Portage Railroad and Friendship Hill national historic sites) attracted more than 1.2 million visitors in 2016. It’s the first time those five national park units have ever exceeded a million visitors.
That’s impressive. Just to put it in perspective, the Pittsburgh Steelers drew just over 1 million fans to their home and away games last season; the Penguins put 761,000 fans in what were then Consol Energy Center seats during the 2015-16 season.
Those National Park Service numbers came from Stephen Clark, Superintendent of the Western Pennsylvania Parks,during a “State of the Parks” program that he offered to the public recently at Somerset Area High School.
About two years ago, Clark returned to his Park Service roots here. His initial exposure to the federal system came back in the mid-1980s as a young temporary employee at Johnstown Flood.
Thirty years later, he’s still energetic – andpassionate about public engagement.
“I love these parks,” Clark told the group of journalists, volunteers and interested citizens who gathered. “And I love what our employees and volunteers are doing here.”
Significant developments are underway at several of the park sites. Naturally, the biggest, most-ambitious plans are at Flight 93, which currently offers a visitors center, an education center, memorial wall of names, special landscaping, walks and moving views of the actual crash site.
Fund-raising is continuing for the 93-foot tall “Tower of Voices” which will feature 40 windchimes torepresent the heroes of Flight 93 who forced their hijacked plane to crash only 18 minutes in flight time away from Washington, D.C.A “sound-breaking” ceremony will mark the beginning of the tower’s construction this coming September, and the tower itself is scheduled for dedication in September of 2018.
At Fort Necessity National Battlefield near Farmington, Clark announced that $1.2 million in funding has been obtained to restore the landscape around the fort to the “Great Meadow” that was there at the time when young Col. George Washington’s militia unit was surrounded and forced to surrender by the French in 1754.
Funding is in place for Fiscal Year 2019-20 to install new exhibits in the visitor’s center at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site near Gallitzin. Allegheny Portage was an amazing series of short rail lines and inclines that literally pulled Main Line canal boats up and over the Allegheny Front.
And Clark reported that funding also is scheduled in 2020 for improvements to the landmark South Fork Clubhouse, which was the lodging and social center for the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club before the Club’s lake was loosed onto the City of Johnstown, causing the 1889 Johnstown Flood.
Clark also is committed to reviving the “Friends of Johnstown Flood,” a volunteer group which can help the park service with programs and special events. Flight 93 and Fort Necessity currently have active friends’ groups.
“We are always looking for volunteers” at all five sites, Clark told the audience. Those interested can call him directly, he added – and invited journalists to publish his cell number: (267) 252-1909.
Think this guy’s passionate about parks? Call him and find out. Or come to next year’s “State of the Parks” program, when Steve Clark is predicting even bigger numbers.