E.O. Austin Home and Historical Society – The Dam Museum

This blog post is mainly going to be about the Historical Society itself, which most people just call the Austin Dam Museum. If you have not visited this place yet, you truly are missing out. It is an amazing recreation of the original home of Edward Orramel Austin, who was the founder of the town of Austin, PA.

 Original E.O. Austin Home

E.O. Austin Home and Historical Society Today

According to the Austin Historical Society Website, “In September of 1856, Edward Orramel Austin came to Freeman Run. He fell in love with the area and began to build a village. From then on, he lived his entire life in the valley. He served in the Civil War and returned to his valley after. His dream grew until his town, at one period, was one of the largest in Potter County. At the time of his death in 1908, the town of Austin was at its most productive with paper mills and saw mills, as well. He lived to see a great dream come true. Two years later, nearly the entire town was swept away when the great dam builty by the Bayless Pulp and Paper Company failed to hold back its 500,000,000+ gallons of water. The home of E.O. Austin went with it.”

The museum itself is a replica of Mr. Austin’s house from the 1800’s. Ron Ebbert, who has devoted much of his life to this historical project, has taken great pains to make sure the historical integrity and accuracy of the house is in place. It sits in almost the exact location as it did before the flood of 1911. He has overseen the collection of thousands of pieces of meaningful memorabilia from Austin and the surrounding areas, and has helped arrange those pieces into organized rooms and sections of the home.

Ron Ebbert taking a moment to relax on the front porch of the E.O. Austin Home

The museum showcases an area one-room schoolhouse display, Austin Flood of 1911 memorabilia, a military room, logging and farming display, sports memorabilia, post office, a church display, an authentic kitchen from the 1800’s, and so much more.

Of course, this room was my favorite.  So much in education has changed over the past 100 or more years, and yet, I felt a connection to those teachers who loved their students just as I do mine today.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.