Grant announced for Flight 93 memorial work
The National Park Service has announced the award of a “Challenge Cost Share grant” for preservation of history from the Sept. 11, 2001, crash of Flight 93 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The grant, awarded to the Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset county, an associate group of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), will help offset the cost of collecting and preserving artifacts from the temporary memorial at the crash site. Funds will also be available for recording local oral histories related to the disaster.
In September of this year, President Bush signed legislation creating a national memorial to honor those who died on the hijacked plane. However, it will likely be at least three years before the permanent memorial is built. In the meantime, visitors have been leaving artifacts at the Flight 93 temporary memorial site, similar to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial and the Oklahoma City Memorial sites.
Since October 2001, the Somerset Historical Center, which is a PHMC museum, and the Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County have looked after the temporary memorial.
Curator Barbara Black has developed a cadre of trained volunteers who regularly collect artifacts at the temporary memorial site, then transport the artifacts to the Somerset museum, where they are held, preserved and treated by museum staff. They have collected, catalogued, preserved and archived well over 7,500 pieces from the memorial to date.
“They have done a miraculous, heroic and outstanding professional service for our nation,” said Joanne Hanley of the National Park Service. “They have done this, however, using their existing operating budget, with no emergency funding.”
We feel honored to have been asked to assist in the memorial efforts to the honorees of Flight 93,” said Vernon Berkey, president of the Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County. “This grant will allow us to continue and expand our efforts to preserve the many mementos left at the temporary memorial in their memory, training additional volunteers and purchasing necessary supplies to help with the collection and storage of the artifacts.”
An additional component of the grant provides for recording the experiences of local area responders who were at crash scene.
Interviews of people who played integral roles in responding to the Flight 93 crash will be recorded so their experiences are not lost to history.
“The oral history component of this grant is of great importance as well,” said Charles Fox, Historic Site administrator of the Somerset Historical Center. “Sept. 11, 2001, will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most important days in the history of our nation. This grant will allow us to preserve the feelings and experiences of local residents who lived through that terrible day so future generations will be able to understand our actions and our feelings about the attacks, as well as the tremendous response of the citizens of Somerset County to the crash of Flight 93 in Shanksville.
The Challenge Cost Share is a federal matching grant program administered by the national park Service. The program supports participation by partners and neighboring communities in preserving and improving natural, cultural and recreational resources. Projects can be outside or inside park lands or on national trails. Partners must provide funding or services equal to half the cost of the project. The $30,000 grant amount is the maximum grant available. PHMC and the Historical Society will continue to use their cadre of trained volunteers to collect, and preserve artifacts and oral histories.