KEY Magazine Fort Worth

September 11: Bearing Witness to History

The Smithsonian Institution's traveling exhibition "September 11: Bearing Witness to History," opened at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History Sept. 11, 2003 and runs through Jan. 4, 2004. The Museum of Science and History is the first stop on a national tour for this commemorative exhibit of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States of America. Objects, images, and personal stories recall that horrific day in American history. Still photographs and moving images capture moments of the attacks, and visitors can view powerful artifacts including twisted steel from the World Trade Center, a filing cabinet from a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop in the World Trade Center with the crushed and twisted metal still holding its mangled file folders, items from the Pentagon, memorials from the crash site in Pennsylvania, clothing worn by survivors, and clothing and objects worn and used by rescue workers and public officials.

TV news broadcasts from that day still compel audiences to watch as the terror unfolds. Touch-screen stations let the visitor hear and see personal stories of survivors and rescue workers.

Visitors are invited to share their thoughts about the day. Pencils, paper and desks are provided as part of the exhibit. A 20-year-old from Denver wrote, after viewing the exhibit at the Smithsonian: "In this exhibit I see why America is great, why terrorism will never tear us apart. It is the people who c hoose to visit, to commemorate, to remember. We are black, white, Asian, Hispanic, and everything in between..."

In Dec. 2001, Congress named the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History the nation’s official repository for artifacts pertaining to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The museum brought these items together in a temporary exhibition that opened Sept. 11, 2002 in Washington, D.C. In the spring of 2003, Congress allotted funding to the Smithsonian to circulate the exhibition across the nation. The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is proud to be the first venue for the exhibit on the national tour. Thousands of people have come to share the memories of this commemorative exhibit. The Museum is located at 1501 Montgomery St. in Fort Worth's Cultural District. Admittance to the Sept. 11 exhibit is included in regular admission prices: Gen. Ad. $7, Seniors 60+, & children 5-12, $5. For more information go to www.fortworthmuseum.org or call 888-255-9300.

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