Coatesville, PA-
Aug. 31, 2016 The National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum (NISHM) will once again host "Coatesville Remembers September 11." The event, on Sunday, 9/11/16, honors those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and the steelworkers involved with the building of the World Trade Centers' Twin Towers. The museum is the trustee of the largest collection of World Trade Center steel artifacts from 9/11 outside of New York City. The official program will be held on the grounds of the National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum, in The Lukens National Historic District, on South 1st Avenue and Business Route 30, beginning at 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. There will also be bell-ringing during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., to mark significant times during 9/11/01. Personal reflection is welcomed during that time period.
Dan O'Deens, 9/11 first responder, will keynote the event. Mr. O'Deens will share some of his stories of what it was like to be at Ground Zero during those first pivotal weeks after the tragedy. Backdrop to the ceremony will be the "Steelworkers' Memorial." The memorial is dedicated to the steelworkers who lost their lives in Coatesville. The centerpiece of the memorial is a steel "tree" or trident. This steel "tree" is a 35-ton section of the North Tower façade. Steel "trees" (structural trident shapes that were fabricated at Lukens Steel of Coatesville in the late 1960's) framed the first nine floors and soaring lobbies of the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center. As the horrors of 9/11 unfolded, it was the lasting images of the "trees" still standing, jutting out of the ground like fingers reaching towards the heavens, which etched an indelible image in the minds of those who viewed them. The "trees" became the icons of the tragedy.
Through negotiations with the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey, the Graystone Society (for NISHM) was able to secure ten steel "trees" for use as the centerpiece of their museum.
The "trees" were returned to their birthplace in Coatesville, PA on April 14, 2010 in a solemn procession. Twenty-eight tractor-trailers, over a 13-hour journey from New York City, brought 500 tons of World Trade Center steel home to its final destination. After 41 years away, their stalwart duty as silent sentinels of a great tragedy had ended, and the steel had arrived back home. The re-erection of the trees is planned when the expansion of the museum is completed.
This year's ceremony will honor all those who lost their lives on 9/11, as well as local law enforcement and firefighters who aided the recovery effort in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and remotely in Chester County.
This free event will run from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (with personal reflection invited from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.) on Sunday, September 11, 2016. County and State politicians are expected to attend and address the audience. Law enforcement, fire fighters, school children, senior groups, civic groups and civilians are invited to join the event. The Lukens Band will provide a musical backdrop for the event. The Mansions will be open for touring during the day. Refreshments will be served courtesy of Wegman's. This free event will be held rain or shine.
This event is made possible through the generous support of our sponsors:
CTDI, Representative & Mrs. Harry Lewis, Coatesville Savings Bank, Herr's Foods, Huston Properties, Inc., Charles & Barbara Huston, Peter & Ruth Nunn, Scott & Meredith Huston, The Stewart Huston Charitable Trust, Wegman's, and The Williams Group.
The National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum
draws international crowds to its facility, which educates the public on the people, places, products and processes of steel making, as well as the importance of educating children in the STEM discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). NISHM considers the acquisition of 500 tons of World Trade Center steel in April of 2010 to be the bedrock in artifact development for the museum.
For more information on this release, kindly contact Melinda Williams at The Williams Group, 610-518-4888 or visit www.thewilliamsgroup.info
