Thinking back on 9/11

 Ten years since the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11^th we still remember where we were that day and the lives that were lost. In remembrance of that day the Lincoln Heritage Museum had a “September 11^th Commemoration” where memories of that day were shared and those who lost their lives were thought of.  During this commemoration Ms. Vicki Selvaggio an American Airlines flight attendant told her story of that day and Michelle Fletcher shared a poem she wrote on that day. In addition we had Steve Scaife, a member of the St. Andrews Pipe Band perform Amazing Grace in memory of the individuals who lost their lives during the attacks on 9/11. After the program everyone came into the museum and looked at the steel beam from the  World Trade Center, sharing their memories of that day.

When we think about our everyday routine we should include "rolling up our sleeves and getting our hands dirty" in our community, working to make things better everywhere, and, to quote Abraham Lincoln from the Gettysburg Address, "resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."

9/11 Remembrance Program

The Lincoln Heritage Museum will be hosting a 10-year anniversary remembrance of the September 11th attacks on Thursday, September 8, 2011 at the museum, which is located on Lincoln College’s campus in Lincoln, Illinois. The remembrance program is free and open to all ages.   

The program, set to begin at 7 p.m., will feature remarks from Vicki Selvaggio of Springfield, who donated a United Airlines flight attendant’s jacket to the museum in 2002. Selvaggio was wearing the flight attendant’s jacket on layover in New York City on the morning of September 11, 2001. 

The program will also include the music of Steve Scaife, a member of the St. Andrews Pipe Band, who will perform several solemn selections. Michelle Fletcher of Lincoln will read her moving poem that she wrote in honor of the victims of the attacks.  

The Lincoln Heritage Museum is in possession of several historical pieces with relevance to September 11^th, most notably a piece of Tower One of the World Trade Center, which was donated to the museum by the City of New York in 2002. The piece from Tower One has attracted numerous visitors since its arrival.

Following the acquisition of the Tower One piece, the John Chan family of Peoria donated to the museum several items related to their son, Chip, who died in Tower One.

New York Governor George Pataki also donated the address which he gave to the New York state legislature following the attacks, which remains the only copy of the address in any public or private hands.   

As a show of solidarity, the Lincoln Cathedral in Lincoln, England sent a letter of sympathy to Lincoln, Illinois. 

Those items on exhibit can be viewed following the program.

For more information, please contact the Lincoln Heritage Museum at 217-732-3155.