At Southern NJ Steel, Northeast Boulevard, Vineland.
Standing incongruously along the far reaches of Northeast Boulevard in Vineland, in front of a nondescript industrial site in a long row of them, is a beautiful and lovingly created memorial to the losses of September 11, 2001. It makes Southern NJ Steel (SNJS) stand out, not only in the otherwise barren roadside, but also in the minds of those who still remember 9/11 and the importance of that remembrance.
SNJS dedicated its 9/11 memorial on September 28, 2011 during an industry event called “SteelDay.” The structure was fabricated by employees at the plant.
Company President Hugh McCaffrey said at the time that his workers were so touched by the events of 9/11 that they decided to commemorate the 10th Anniversary with a memorial depicting the towers and the surrounding skyline as it once was.
When I visited on a gorgeous sunny day, the real sky above the replica of New York looked eerily like the cloudless September morning when the world changed forever.
At City Hall, 640 E. Wood Street, Vineland.
The leadership of the company set out to make an accurate portrayal of the Manhattan skyline. The memorial was designed and built using pictures and satellite imagery. It stands seven feet high and is made of long-lasting aluminum. It weighs 400 pounds and took 60 hours to build.
Below the memorial is the quote, “We Will Always Remember 9-11-2001,” a sentiment that reflected the collective attitude of the employees of SNJS.
During the dedication of the memorial, Vineland Fire Chief Robert Pagnini and Vineland Police Chief Timothy Codispoti (both now retired) placed a fire helmet and police badge at the site, which became permanent fixtures of the monument.
SNJS is at 2591 NE Boulevard in Vineland and the memorial is on permanent display. All are welcome to stop by and pay respects.
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The most prominent local monument stands in the second-floor lobby of Vineland City Hall. It was completed on September 11, 2010 and is dedicated to Donald LaRoy (Don) Adams, an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald, which was located in World Trade Center North on the floors where the first plane hit. Don Adams was born and raised in Vineland and was the son of the late Bob Adams.
At City Hall, 640 E. Wood Street, Vineland.
He and hundreds of his Cantor Fitzgerald coworkers were killed and were among the 2,977 total fatalities in the terrorist attack.
The memorial includes two pieces of steel from the World Trade Center, each sitting upright on a gold-painted steel pedestal. The four-feet long, 50-pound steel beams were among the first distributed to a New Jersey city through the Port Authority program encouraging their use across the country as 9/11 remembrances.
As Mayor Anthony Fanucci said in remarks prepared for this year’s Patriots Day ceremony, “Many of us can remember where we were on September 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 of our fellow citizens were killed in a disgraceful terrorist attack. The sacrifices of our first responders, and of ordinary Americans on that day, are etched in our minds. This annual ceremony is a way to honor the memory of those we lost, and to support those who continue to be impacted by the tragic events that unfolded.”
Vineland holds an annual Patriots Day ceremony in city council chambers, adjacent to the memorial.
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In beautiful Saw Mill Park nestled in Richland Village in Buena Vista Township, there sits a modest but impactful sparkling black stone 9/11 monument dedicated in 2006. It was presented “In Loving Memory” through funding by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local #152 and individual donations made to UFCW member Albert Stebbins.
At Saw Mill Park, 1316 Harding Highway, Richland.
The memorial displays the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the words “Always Remember” engraved on its base.
A section of a steel beam from the World Trade Center towers was unveiled in 2010, making it also one of the earliest obtained in the state. The girder installation was paid for by the Buena Vista Exchange Club.
A permanent plaque at the base of the beam, added to the memorial in 2011, says: “This section of steel beam, archived as item number A-0039c, was recovered from the World Trade Center towers in remembrance of the 10th anniversary of the tragic September 11, 2001, attacks.”
In addition to the memorial, the one-acre park features a children’s play train, a real restored Pennsylvania Railroad steel caboose from the 1930s, and an unusual tree, which has a pictorial history of the village and township carved on its preserved truck and branches.
