For the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, visitors can learn more about Pennsylvania’s experience that day at the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg.
The exhibit, “Witness to History: Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001,” focuses on United Flight 93, which was hijacked before passengers fought back against the attackers. The plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Somerset County.
One of the exhibit’s walls displays the names of everyone on that plane.
John Stahlman of the Pennsylvania State Archives said he hopes visitors leave understanding the role passengers played in saving other lives.
“Being reminded and remembering of what events took place that day and remembering the victims and the bravery that those folks exhibited on that plane that ultimately likely prevented that plane from proceeding to its intended target,” he said.
Other artifacts include notes that Paul Evanko — who led the state troopers’ emergency response — took on that September morning.
Evanko recorded the times he received information throughout the day. His notes chronicled the evolving response, from reports that a plane went down to confirmation of what happened and increasing security across the state as more information became available.
As Stahlman walked through the exhibit recently one day, he pointed out how the notes reflect the changing understanding of the events.
“Ultimately, we end with this page where he has sort of a summation or summary quote of the governor that says that the governor’s words were, in effect, ‘OK, let’s get back to work. We all know what we have to do,’” he said.
Visitors can also view videos and audio from Sept. 11, ranging from the emergency response calls to the cleanup efforts, which took about two weeks. The videos give a “unique perspective of the folks who were there and managing the response,” Stahlman said.
Stahlman said the exhibit is expected to remain on display through January 2027 and can be viewed during the Pennsylvania State Archives’ regular hours.
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