The Bells of Remembrance
- In their Memory –

“The Bells of Remembrance Project” was organized by the Franciscan Center of Wilmington, Delaware, and the McShane Bell Foundry of Glen Burnie, Maryland, as a part of the ceremonies and Memorial Services which marked the first anniversary commemorations at each of the sites of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. On the first weekend of October, “The Bells of Remembrance” were involved in the annual commemorative ceremonies of the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Washington, DC honoring those Firefighters who died in the line of duty during the prior year.

The bells, weighing 5000, 3500, and 2800 lbs, respectively have been suspended from steel frames and permanently mounted on their own individual trailers. It is estimated that the respective gross weights of the fully rigged trailers are approximately 9000, 6800, and 5800 lbs. The bells are stationary and are rung manually.

A bell was placed in New York City, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and Arlington, Virginia for the ceremonies on September 11, 2002. This “Bell of Remembrance” was tolled at ten second intervals at each site in remembrance of each person who died at that site – with the number of tolls based on the number of persons who died at that location. The tolling of the 5000 lb. bell in New York City began at 8:47 AM and continued without interruption for over the next seven and three-quarter hours. A fourth “Bell of Remembrance” weighing 1700 lbs remained in Delaware, in the City of Wilmington, and was tolled 3047 times, in commemoration of all those who died on September 11, 2001. Beginning at 10:06 AM, all four bells rang in sequence for three minutes. Surviving family members, friends, and co-workers of those who died, as well as public officials and local volunteers who had assisted in the relief and recovery efforts, participated in tolling the bells.

May “The Bells of Remembrance” continue to honor the memory of all those who died on September 11, 2001 at each of the sites where the ground is forever hallowed because of the lives of those who perished.

At those places where bravery and sacrifices of those in the Fire Service are forever held in sacred memory for generations to come, may the tolling of these bells honor the three hundred forty-three Firefighters who died in the line of duty that fateful Tuesday morning.


TO HONOR THOSE WHO DIED
TO CONSOLE THOSE WHO REMAIN