The National September 11 Collection

The collections we present on this site represent a work in progress. Early collections embody the best efforts of staff across the National Museum of American History to document and preserve a wide range of stories about September 11. Recent collecting efforts have integrated a more collaborative community-based approach to find underrepresented and unknown stories. Each object, as material evidence of the attacks and their immediate aftermath, is a piece of a large and complex story. The collections will grow as we gain historical perspective and a greater understanding of the events of September 11.

 

La Colección Nacional 11 de Septiembre

La colección que presentamos en este sitio es una obra en progreso. Las primeras recopilaciones plasman los mejores esfuerzos del personal del Museo Nacional de Historia Americana por documentar y preservar una amplia gama de relatos acerca del 11 de septiembre. Los esfuerzos de colección recientes han integrado un enfoque más colaborativo, de base comunitaria, en busca de historias desconocidas o poco representadas. Cada objeto, como evidencia material de los ataques y su secuela inmediata, es un pedazo de una historia larga y compleja. Las colecciones crecerán a medida que ampliemos la perspectiva histórica y la comprensión de los eventos.

ID Number
2019.0310.03
catalog number
2019.0310.03
accession number
2019.0310
ID Number
2019.0310.02
catalog number
2019.0310.02
accession number
2019.0310
ID Number
2019.0310.04
catalog number
2019.0310.04
accession number
2019.0310
ID Number
2019.0310.01
catalog number
2019.0310.01
accession number
2019.0310
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Gildan Activewear
ID Number
2007.0191.01
accession number
2007.0191
catalog number
2007.0191.01
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
2001-09-11
ID Number
2015.0067.03
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
2001-09-11
ID Number
2015.0067.05
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
2001-09-11
maker
Salvation Army
ID Number
2015.0067.04
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
2001-09-11
ID Number
2015.0067.06
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
2001-09-11
ID Number
2015.0067.07
accession number
2015.0067
catalog number
2015.0067.07
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Anvil
ID Number
2004.0269.05
accession number
2004.0269
catalog number
2004.0269.05
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1995
maker
Steelite
ID Number
2002.0239.01
Description: This grill scraper was used by kitchen worker Leocio Luis-Perguero at the Windows on the World restaurant in the World Trade Center.Context: Innovation is part of all work.
Description
Description: This grill scraper was used by kitchen worker Leocio Luis-Perguero at the Windows on the World restaurant in the World Trade Center.
Context: Innovation is part of all work. Wanting a better grease scraper, Leocio Luis-Perguero adapted a commercially available paint scraper to his job in the kitchen of the Windows on the World restaurant. On September 10 he had taken the scraper home to resharpen it. Windows on the World, located on the 107th floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center, had a staff of about 450 workers. On the morning of September 11, over 70 people who were at work were trapped by the attack, and died when the building collapsed.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1990s
maker
Hyde
ID Number
2002.0239.10
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1990s
maker
Comfo Classic
ID Number
2002.0019.05
On the morning of September 11, lame duck Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was watching the progress of the New York City primary election. Having lost popularity in a public split from his wife, and fighting prostate cancer, Giuliani was ready to step out of the limelight.
Description
On the morning of September 11, lame duck Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was watching the progress of the New York City primary election. Having lost popularity in a public split from his wife, and fighting prostate cancer, Giuliani was ready to step out of the limelight. Instead, the events of the day served to rocket him to the pinnacle of visibility. Arriving at the World Trade Center just after the second plane hit, Giuliani remained at the center of the crisis for the next sixteen hours. He held press briefings, visited hospitals, comforted families, and returned repeatedly to the attack scene. In the following weeks, wearing a succession of trademark caps, he inspired the city and the nation with messages of compassion, resolve, and resilience.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1990s
user
Giuliani, Rudy
maker
Auburn Sportswear Company
ID Number
2003.0258.02
accession number
2003.0258
catalog number
2003.0258.02
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1990s
maker
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
ID Number
2004.0244.01
accession number
2004.0244
catalog number
2004.0244.01
This airplane fuselage skin fragment is made of aluminum and is a silver color overall with yellow paint on the reverse side. This was a piece of one of the hijacked airplanes that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Description (Brief)
This airplane fuselage skin fragment is made of aluminum and is a silver color overall with yellow paint on the reverse side. This was a piece of one of the hijacked airplanes that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Because most of the fuselage melted in the fires that brought down the towers, the only parts of the aircraft that could be recovered were pieces that were sheared off on impact. The yellow-green paint on the fragment indicates that the FBI didn't need that piece as evidence anymore and was therefore released to the Smithsonian.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2002.0057.04
accession number
2002.0057
catalog number
2002.0057.04
Description: This mass of fused coins was recovered from the debris of the World Trade Center.Context: Fire from the jet fuel was an important element in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers.
Description
Description: This mass of fused coins was recovered from the debris of the World Trade Center.
Context: Fire from the jet fuel was an important element in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. While it is estimated that about half of the fuel carried by each airliner was burned off in the initial fireball, the remainder spread throughout many floors of the building, setting off massive fires. The contents of the building—desks, papers, carpets, ceiling tiles, and even paint—fueled the fire, and with estimated temperatures of about 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, even metal coins were fused together. After the collapse, the fires continued to burn for weeks.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2002.0238.13
accession number
2002.0238
catalog number
2002.0238.13
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2004.0269.04
accession number
2004.0269
catalog number
2004.0269.04
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2002.0238.15
accession number
2002.0238
This white, crescent-shaped salad plate has a starry blue sky and a thin, yellow crescent moon baked into the surface.
Description (Brief)
This white, crescent-shaped salad plate has a starry blue sky and a thin, yellow crescent moon baked into the surface. This plate was part of the collection of dinnerware used in the "Windows on the World" restaurant located on the 107th floor of Tower 1 of the World Trade Center. “Windows on the World” was a popular destination with building occupants, tourists, and city residents. The china survived because the owner of the restaurant had taken the china home for a private function.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1995
maker
Steelite
ID Number
2002.0239.02
accession number
2002.0239
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2002.0054.01
accession number
2002.0054
catalog number
2002.0054.01
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
2001
maker
Glaser, Milton
ID Number
2004.0300.03
accession number
2004.0300
catalog number
2004.0300.03
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
2000
ID Number
2004.0267.01
accession number
2004.0267
catalog number
2004.0267.01

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.