9/11 Memorial

The City of Portsmouth was directly impacted by the 9/11 attacks by the loss of American Airlines’ co-pilot Tom McGuinness, a Portsmouth resident, who was flying American Airlines flight #11, the first plane flown into the tower.

After five years of behind-the-scenes work, the Portsmouth Police Department won approval in 2015 for the City to be one of the recipients of an artifact recovered from the World Trade Center. With a flatbed and driver from Novel Iron Works, the team traveled to the Port Authority at JFK International Airport in New York to collect the 8-foot, 1100 lb. steel beam. Accompanied by a rolling escort from the NY City Police Department, State Police in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, an honor guard from Patriot Guard, Combat Vets and Portsmouth Fire and Police apparatus, the trip took about seven hours. Then a DPW crew hosted the beam into place, where it remains, overlooking South Mill Pond.

For another 9/11 memorial artwork in the City, visit Each One: The Button Project A 9/11 Memorial

Councilor Chris Dwyer (left) and artist Sarah Haskell accept “Each One: The Button Project” on behalf of the City.