Shoot! A photo shoot, of course! My husband, who is seriously one of the good guys (and pretty darned good-looking, I must add), my wonderful mother, and I recently journeyed over to the little town of Austin, PA to visit the E.O. Austin Home and Historical Society. I had been preparing for weeks to do a photo shoot of 3 of my classroom decor sets in the vintage school room at this museum.
Paired with a visit to the Austin Dam Memorial Park, a trip to this museum is well worth the drive. The history of the Austin Dam is quite fascinating. In 1911, the dam broke, and a torrent of water carried logs and debris through the growing town of Austin. At least 78 lives were lost in the devastating tragedy.
Today, a park stands at the site of the dam ruins. While there, guests can visit a welcome center, gift store, historical wall display, interpretive trails, and enjoy a picnic lunch in the large pavilion.
My grandfather was Edward W Austin,his wife was Grace. My mother was Kittie M Austin She told me that E O Austin was my relative. Can you tell me if this could be true? I was told about this flood from my mother. They lived in Austin. She mentioned how people climbed on top of their roofs to survive. I have her copy of the book Marie Kathern Nusehke wrote. That’s what brought me to this page.
Hi, Judy. It’s possible that is true, but I really do not know too much about the history of Austin. The tragic story of the Austin Dam breaking is quite fascinating; many people fled the flood by climbing to their roofs or running up the nearby hills. I would suggest contacting the E.O. Austin Historical Society with your question. Here is their email: eoaustinhistsoc@zitomedia.net Thanks!