Press

A large American flag recovered from the site of the World Trade Center following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City is on display for the first time in the lobby of the New York State Museum to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the attacks. The flag was draped over the crushed remains of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Engine Company 6 pumper as it was removed from Ground Zero. The Engine 6 pumper is now installed in the State Museum’s World Trade Center exhibit.

Six firefighters from Engine 6 were dispatched to the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001 and four men from the Company—Lieutenant Thomas O’Hagan, Firefighter Paul Beyer, Firefighter William Johnson, and Firefighter Thomas Holohan—were killed in the collapse. Firefighters Billy Green and Jack Butler survived. The Engine 6 flag will hang in the State Museum lobby through the end of October.

“This historic American flag resonates with the history of September 11, 2001,” said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. “For the first time this iconic flag is on display in the Museum along with the FDNY Engine 6 pumper, an artifact central to the State Museum's 9/11 collection. These objects from the World Trade Center site speak to the loss, heroism and global impact that the exhibition evokes for visitors.”

In addition, there are new artifacts on display in the Response section of the World Trade Center exhibition, revisiting the many individuals and groups in New York City and around the country who helped to preserve a legacy of those tragic days. Five collections of objects from the World Trade Center Sites are on display. Items include a handprint flag made at Fort Myers (Florida) High School that hung in the respite center at the World Trade Center Recovery Operation on Staten Island; objects sent to The World Trade Center Relief fund including a teddy bear and two albums filled with children’s drawings that were sent in with their contribution, usually their weekly allowance or a few coins; personal items of a fallen Port Authority attorney and his family including a family pass, safety helmet, booklet, and badge that were used to gain access to the site; and a canvas banner where visitors to Saint Paul’s Chapel were encouraged to write comments and reflection. Also on view is a roof truss fragment from one of the World Trade Center buildings; a piece of the building that was constructed to hold the building together.

With hundreds of thousands of artifacts, the State Museum is the world’s largest repository of objects recovered from the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. The artifacts are rotated through the Museum’s permanent World Trade Center exhibition, which opened in September 2002. The Museum also supports other institutions nationwide and beyond with their World Trade Center-related exhibitions. More information about the exhibit is available here:
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibits/longterm/wtc/.

Photos of the flag are available here:
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2013/flag/index.html.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.  It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free.


Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.