The winter of 1935-36 was extremely cold and the ground was deeply frozen. Normally the snow covering all the watershed areas would melt slowly and seep into the ground. In 1936, this did not happen. Instead, heavy rains in early March swept snow and rain into the streams and tributaries which in turn emptied into rivers over a short period of time. Minor flooding always occurred every few years, but no one was prepared for what was about to happen.
Trolley service ended on March 17 at 4 p.m. with a trip of students who attended school in Vandergrift to North Apollo. When the street car reached the site of what is now Held’s Shop & Save, it stopped and remained there for the next several years.
By 7 p.m. the Apollo Firemen were stopping people who were trying to cross the Apollo Bridge. By 10 p.m., water was almost lapping the floor of the bridge. Firemen allowed one more group of people to cross from the Westmoreland side.
Early morning, March 18, water was rushing over the bridge which soon became a dam as houses and debris piled against it. At 4:30 a.m. the bridge structure left its piers. The river current was directed into Apollo and entered the back of houses along Warren Avenue.
Fifty bridges in western PA were lost. Only three on the Kiski River remained; the Salina, Vandergrift, and Leechburg. Work was not started on the new Apollo bridge until August 16, 1937 and not completed until 1938. The piers from the 1881 bridge were used, otherwise the work would have taken much longer.
As a result of the flood, train service was discontinued from the Apollo side. The ferry and footbridge service in Pegtown never resumed. Griftlo Park only partially opened the next few years before closing completely. Trolleys were replaced with Penn Transit Motor Buses.
Flood control became a priority. The Conemaugh Dam was improved and enlarged. A new dam, the Loyalhannah, was built near Saltsburg. With these well engineered dams built for flood control, this kind of flooding should never happen again.
The AAHS has published a Flood issue of our “Windows To Apollo’s Past”. It’s Volume V and is available for purchase at the WCTU Building for $6. The set of six books is available for $30.
Did Ivy Scott continue to man the switchboard of the Kittanning Telephone Company on N. PA Ave. during the 1936 Flood? It’s a part of the Scott family history. We are always looking for memories of the flood.
Apollo Area Historical Society 
Family history has it that my great-aunt, Ivy L Scott, stayed at her switchboard during a flood and had to be rescued by local firemen. I wonder if this was the flood in question?
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I will have to check this out!! Fascinating family history! Thanks.
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Alan Morgan knew your family. Is your father Art Scott? I am going to find pictures of the telephone company & maybe your great aunt will be in some of them. It would be the 1936 flood. We’ve never heard the story before, but it makes sense that she would continue to keep lines of communication open during the flood! Brave lady.
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Oh goodness, I never got notice of a reply to his. No, Art (or as we knew him, Artie) Scott was my father’s cousin, I believe. Ivy’s sister Vernye married Wallace Frayer from Vandergrift; both are buried in Riverview Cemetery. Vernye was my paternal grandmother, but we are now located in Cleveland OH. Ivy is in Riverview as well as their parents, Baptist Calvin and Annie Roland Scott.
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My father, Grant W. Snyder and his brother had bought a Gas Station on the far end of the Apollo bridge. I have a calendar dated 1935 from that garage.
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That is so neat. If you have any pictures that we could have copies of or if you ever want to donate the calendar, the AAHS would be thrilled. Thanks!
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I have just found some photos of the flood in a box of old family photos but I don’t what to do with them how can I share them
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Hi April.
Thanks for your interest in the AAHS. If you live near Apollo, you could call us at 724-478-2899 & make arrangements to meet someone there. Or you could mail them to AAHS PO Box 434, Apollo, PA 15613. Thanks so much for thinking of us.
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Hello, my family lived in the area and I was wondering if you had any pics of the flood from Pegtown Ave or the ferry. My Great Grandfather, Mike Mangiafico, ran the ferry that got washed out. I’ve recently written a song about the flood and am making a video with pictures for them. Anything would be great.
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Hello, I am so sorry I have not replied. We have a lot of flood pictures that you are welcome to use from this website as long as you credit the AAHS. We would love to see the video once it’s finished. Thank you.
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Hello. I ended up deciding not to do a video, but wrote a song instead. You’re website added nice details to my memories of my grandmother. Here it is if you’d like to listen. Feel free to share as it is available on all streaming services.
https://open.spotify.com/track/6fisKsgHx4rHElFxvqzerr?si=MzNpCFBFQSinftvk_LB62w
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Thanks, Edward. I enjoyed that. I will pass it on.
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