Morley's Dog is a Victorian-era statue that was washed away in the great Johnstown flood of 1889, but was recovered and eventually donated to the city. Since then, Morley's Dog has become a beloved Johnstown icon. But the statue is badly in need of restoration. This section of the Johnstown Area Heritage Association (JAHA) site tells you all about the history of Morley's Dog and how you can help save Johnstown's best friend.

History and Legends
The Morley's Dog statue was made in the late 1800s by J.W. Fiske Iron Works, a New York City-based maker and retailer of ornamental iron and zinc products. JAHA has a J.W. Fiske catalog that includes several statues depicting a French bloodhound in various poses, including Morley's Dog; the company responded to Victorian tastes by offering many statues with a botanical or natural theme, including deer, lions, eagles and dogs. To view the entire catalog in PDF format, click here. Cambria Iron executive James Morley bought the statue and placed it in his lawn at Main and Walnut, where it stood until being washed away by the floodwaters in the great flood of May 31, 1889. Recovered in the debris pile at the stone bridge, it was returned to Morley. The Morley family kept the statue at various residences throughout the city, including a house on Palliser Street in Southmont. In the 1940s, the statue was donated to the city, and has since become a beloved icon.
Some of the legends about the famous statue include: • The statue depicts a dog that saved a child during the great flood. There was such a dog, a Newfoundland named Romey who saved three people, but Morley's Dog has nothing to do with that incident. This misconception was spread further by a reference in the 1977 Paul Newman movie "Slap Shot." • The dog barked when the Cambria Iron Company's whistle blew at noon, or some say at midnight.