Montgomery County's 9/11 memorial, an 18-foot bronze sculpture holding a steel I-beam salvaged from the North Tower of the World Trade Center, will travel along Ridge Pike on Tuesday, Sept. 1, in a public procession to its new permanent home at Elmwood Park in Norristown. One of three designated viewing spots sits at the Lower Providence Fire Station at Ridge Pike and Mt. Kirk Avenue, just west of Plymouth Township.
The county announced it is relocating the monument from the Public Safety campus in Eagleville to make it more accessible to residents ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The memorial had been on the government campus since 2021, when courthouse construction forced its first move from the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown.
The procession departs Eagleville at 9 a.m. and travels through Lower Providence and West Norriton townships before arriving at Elmwood Park around 10 a.m. Three public viewing locations have been set along the route:
- Lower Providence Fire Station, Ridge Pike and Mt. Kirk Avenue
- Centennial Park in West Norriton, West Main Street and Burnside Avenue
- Elmwood Park, along Harding Boulevard in Norristown
A Norristown Police Department motorcycle escort will lead the procession, joined by the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, the Norristown Fire Department and other first responders.
"It's remarkable to see all of the volunteers and businesses who are already hard at work preparing Elmwood Park for the arrival of Montgomery County's 9/11 Memorial," Commissioner Thomas DiBello said. "Twenty-five years later, the County and its residents have not forgotten the tragedy of 9/11 … With a monument that is accessible to all members of the public, we can ensure future generations of Montgomery County residents remember what our country and our community lost that day."
Sculptor Sassana Norton created the monument after the Board of Commissioners commissioned it in 2003. The piece features a pair of 8-foot bronze hands cradling the I-beam. Its base reads: "Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The Many Who Died. The Many Who Fought. Memories Never Die." When it was unveiled in 2005, it was described as the largest 9/11 memorial in Pennsylvania.
More than a dozen construction firms and unions volunteered time and materials for the relocation, coordinated by Darin Maher of IUOE Local 542. Norristown Municipal Council President Rashaad Bates said the borough is "proud to host the County's 9/11 Memorial in Elmwood Park." The council voted to give the monument a permanent home there.
A rededication ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, at Elmwood Park, 1325 Harding Blvd., Norristown.
Upcoming community events:
- Sunday, Aug. 30 — Whitemarsh Elementary PTO free playground meetup
- Tuesday, Sept. 1 — 9/11 Memorial procession, 9 a.m., Ridge Pike viewing area
- Thursday, Sept. 10 — Whitpain End of Summer Bash
- Friday, Sept. 11 — 9/11 Memorial rededication, 10 a.m., Elmwood Park, Norristown
