JOHNSTOWN — On July 6, 1924, a meteorite crashed near the town’s cemetery during a funeral service.
“People heard sounds overhead and looked up and saw a fireball,” Billie DeLancey said. “They were scared. Some of them thought it was the end of the world.”
Four years later, on June 29, 1928, a tornado struck Johnstown.
“It was very damaging,” she said.
People who visit the Parish House and Museum, 701 Charlotte St., during the Holiday Open House from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 will learn about those incidents and other historic milestones.
DeLancey is the museum director.
Harvey J. Parish founded Johnstown in 1902 and named the community after his son. The town’s main street is Parish Avenue.
Johnstown has grown and changed though the decades since Parish was mayor from 1902-10 and 1919-21. A McDonald’s is on the site of his homestead at the intersection of South Parish Avenue and South First Street.
Parish House, built in 1914, is on a tree-lined street in a quiet residential neighborhood west of downtown.
The house is owned by the town of Johnstown and operated by the Johnstown Historical Society. In addition to conducting the annual Open House, the house and museum are open three days a week and tours are conducted for school groups.
The Society also hosts BBQ Day on the first Saturday in June and Cemetery Crawl on the last Saturday in October. The meteorite memorial at the cemetery is part of the Halloween event.
Each room in the Parish House is furnished with family heirlooms and donated vintage items from earlier generations. A pre-1914 wood/coal/gas-burning cast iron stove dominates the kitchen.
A pre-1914 cast iron wood/coal/gas-burning cast iron stove dominates the Parish House kitchen. (Ed Otte/For the Greeley Tribune)The centerpiece of the basement museum is the meteorite exhibit.
The display features a fragment of the meteorite, a map showing the crash debris field, a front-page story with eyewitness accounts in a framed copy of the July 10, 1924, edition of The Johnstown Breeze and the obituary for Johannes (John) Moore. Born on Feb. 4, 1881, and died on July 3, 1924, his funeral service was being conducted when the meteorite struck.
Larger pieces of the meteorite are at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Old-fashioned Christmas decorations are featured for the Holiday Open House. Volunteers began decorating the rooms on Nov. 22 and completed the work a week later.
“Every year we have a theme,” DeLancey said. “Nativities is the theme this year. Over one hundred nativities were donated by families.
“People are very generous. They help us with donations. They know we need help.”
A nativity scene is displayed on the Parish House fireplace mantle in Johnstown. Community members donated more than 100 nativity scenes for the annual Holiday Open House. (Ed Otte/For the Greeley Tribune)The day will also feature a scavenger hunt and a hands-on crafts station for children to make a quick craft. Last year’s crafts were Christmas tree ornaments.
Homemade brownies, banana bread, Christmas cookies and candy will be available for sale.
“We have some volunteers who love to bake,” DeLancey said. “The money from that and our donation jars help fund our operation.”
History Colorado Historical Fund grants support larger projects such as repairs and improvements.
Admission to the house and museum is free.
Parish House and Museum director Billie DeLancy holds a 1924 Johnstown meteorite commemorative coin. (Ed Otte/For the Greeley Tribune)Visitors can acquire historical souvenirs with small dollar donations, including postcards and notecards, engraved bricks from the Great Western Sugar Factory (1926-1988) and Letford Elementary School (1952-2022).
A meteorite centennial commemorative coin is also available for a $10 donation.
— Ed Otte is a former editor of the Greeley Tribune and a former executive director of the Colorado Press Association.
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