wagner-ritter house and garden

A treasure in Cambria City. My family were early residents of this area and I enjoyed the living history. The tour guide was very knowledgeable.

Visited this on a Saturday; it was part of a 3 site ticket we bought at the immigrant museum (the third site was the flood museum in the city). I don't think it's open during the week, as it's staffed by volunteers. Toured through a typical immigrants house. It doesn't take very long and you can definitely walk to here from the immigrant museum. The guide was knowledgeable; his comments did help us to imagine how life was during that period. Sites like this help to make us aware how very fortunate we are to live now, and not then.

This original house shows how a laborer and family lived. It helps us understand the difficulties in living a century or more ago. The rooms were tiny but that was practical because it was hard to heat a home. Everything from laundry to cleaning to cooking was labor-intensive. There is also a garden that follows the original. There was an outhouse in the back. Def worth a visit as part of the Heritage Museum across the street.

The Wagner-Ritter House and Garden in Cambria City was a surprisingly good contrast to all the news of the 1889 Flood. Here we were treated to a thorough history of a modest working class family who toiled to help create the wealth of the area working in the steel/brewing/coal industries. The detail is remarkable and in the ‘new’ visitors’ centre there are huge boards full of well-researched information which really puts the family into context. As my grandson & I were the only visitors we were treated to a personal tour of the house and garden by a charming young docent who gave a full account of the use of the rooms and how the house was adapted over the years. Fascinating. Whilst a humble home, it retains some of the atmosphere of a hardworking family in straightened circumstances and it deserves far more visitors in the high summer than on the occasion we were there. It is an unprepossessing area now the major industries have stopped and lack of congregations have meant that there are some magnificent churches of several denominations which are currently unused or being adapted for alternative uses. If you have the opportunity, and there is someone available, try to see the inside of the German Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception which is just along the road from the Wagner-Ritter House. This is where, I believe, they worshipped so it was good to see it. The architecture and remaining fittings such as the windows and chandeliers are testament to the wealth of the area when industries were still strong. The entry to the house is included in a joint ticket with the Johnstown Flood Museum in an arrangement with the enterprising Johnstown Area Heritage Association. Congratulations to the group for maintaining their assets for all visitors, never mind those from the UK. We are grateful to you!

This is a well cared-for family home from 1860, continuously occupied by the Wagners, then by their daughter's family who married a Ritter, until the 1990's. Most furnishings are family heirlooms; even the wallpaper is authentic! There's a lovely heritage garden out back, complete with compost pile, root cellar, and "biffy". Lobby display tells the story of the families, who were workers in the Cambria Mills. Admission is included with the Johnstown Flood Museum and Heritage Discovery Center.