SHANKSVILLE, PA – The landscape of this former coal mine continues to transform eighteen years later into one of a living memorial to honor the passengers and crew members aboard Flight 93. Planned for 2019:

·       Ongoing improvements continue at the Tower of Voices

·       Learning Center hosts the Friends of Flight 93 summer Speaker Series

·       Summer long feature exhibit Memories from the Memorial – Looking Back 2001 – 2011

·       Construction of the Trail of Remembrance, a permanent trail to the former site of the temporary memorial.

 

Tower of Voices Updates

Field-testing on the eight prototype wind chimes that were installed at the Tower of Voices last September remains ongoing. “Continued development and refinement of the chime assembly design is progressing with the next phase of full-scale mock-up testing. The scale, complexity and uniqueness of the chime system requires a back-and-forth and open-ended process of design to ensure that all of the performance requirements are met before installing the forty chimes in the Tower of Voices,” said Paul Murdoch, architect of the memorial. The ongoing tests and commitment to ensuring the success of the wind chimes has extended the timetable for completion of this world-class memorial.

 “While the timeline is longer than anticipated, we are committed to providing a chime system that appropriately honors each of the passengers and crew members and will stand the test of time,” said Flight 93 National Memorial Superintendent Stephen Clark. The 93-foot tall musical instrument serves as a symbolic reminder of their voices, but remains a work-in-progress.

Speaker Series Updates

The Flight 93 National Memorial Speaker Series continues for a third year. The series features various guest speakers each month from May to August, and focuses on first-person stories and accounts of the events and aftermath of September 11, 2001. The first two programs this year featured family members sharing stories on their loved ones and the development of the permanent memorial over the past 18 years. 

 

This month's program on July 27th and 28th features Volunteers-in-Parks who will share their unique stories while serving as Ambassadors at the memorial. The last program on August 17th will feature Paul McNaulty, President of Grove City College, who served as the lead prosecutor in the Zacarias Moussaoui trial and eventually went on to serve as Deputy Attorney General under President George W. Bush.

Exhibit and Trail Updates

Opening this summer, an exhibit Memories from the Memorial – Looking Back 2001 – 2011 will illustrate the history of the Flight 93 temporary memorial. The display will include several items from the chain-link fence memorial including a sampling of memorial benches and flags, and a portion of the original fence. Visitors to the exhibit are welcome to sign a painted replica plywood board, similar to the one that guests would have viewed 18 years ago. The special exhibit will be open to the public weekends throughout the summer.

In the aftermath of the crash of Flight 93, a temporary memorial was erected near Skyline Road for visitors to view the crash site and leave tributes. Over several years, the temporary memorial was a place where visitors from around the world could honor the passengers and crew members while work continued to complete the permanent memorial. The National Park Service, in partnership with the 458th Engineering Battalion and the 443rd Engineering Detachment of the US Army Reserve has begun installation of a trail that will enable visitors an opportunity to return to the site of the temporary memorial.  The Trail of Remembrance follows part of the original Skyline Road and will be accessible from the Memorial Plaza. “The trail will provide a place to reflect on how the memorial has changed over the years and a sense of how a community and a Country came together after September 11, 2001,” said Flight 93 Spokeswoman Katherine Cordek.  Trail dedication is expected in November 2019.

 

ABOUT FLIGHT 93 NATIONAL MEMORIAL

On September 24, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Flight 93 National Memorial Act. The Act created a new national park unit to commemorate the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who, on September 11, 2001, courageously gave their lives thereby thwarting a planned attack on our nation’s capital. The memorial is located near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed with the loss of its 40 passengers and crew. For more information about Flight 93 National Memorial, visit www.nps.gov/flni.

 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

More than 22,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.

 

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Katie Cordek

Acting Volunteer Coordinator

Public Information Officer

 

National Park Service

Flight 93 National Memorial

P.O. Box 911

Shanksville, PA 15560