Archivists gather materials left in one of the temporary reflecting pools constructed on the footprint of the South tower of the World Trade Center. September 11, 2008. Photographer: Michael Lorenzini, NYC Municipal Archives
The New York City Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) offers internships to high school and college students throughout the year. This summer DORIS partnered with the New York City-based non-profit organization, PENCIL, to again participate in their internship program. PENCIL’s internship program matches interns with local organizations and businesses to provide career readiness training, connections to professional mentors, and a paid summer internship. In return, the organizations and businesses benefit from the work completed by the interns and from the relationships fostered with the intern and wider community.
The Municipal Archives hosted PENCIL intern began the transcription of the messages written on supports from September 11 anniversary commemorations. The September 11 memorial transcription project is an ongoing project initiated this summer that will conclude when all of the written messages are transcribed.
The Municipal Archives holds numerous collections documenting the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, including wooden beams inscribed with messages. Comprising fifty-six pieces, they are the wooden supports for the temporary reflecting pools that were constructed on the footprints of the two World Trade Center towers destroyed by the attacks on September 11, 2001. Prior to the opening of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, anniversary the temporary pools were the location of memorial services held for the families who lost loved ones. Attendees left mementos such as stuffed animals, notes and flowers. They also inscribed handwritten messages on the wooden supports. Municipal Archives staff collected many of the items and supports annually between 2002 and 2009 after each commemoration concluded.
In 2020, DORIS hired photographer Stephen Mallon to document the messages written on the supports. In many instances the writing is fading and preserving the information in digital images was the best preservation strategy. In 2021, in preparation for the start of the transcription project, Digitization Specialist, Matt Minor, meticulously numbered each message inscribed on the supports. With each inscription assigned a number, the intern transcribed more than 450 messages. The transcriptions completed form the background of a banner that will be displayed at the non-profit Photoville event that opens in September, “Messages to Those We’ve Lost: 9/11 Memorial Railings.”
The Municipal Archives is recruiting volunteers to assist in transcribing the content of the remaining supports. We welcome volunteers to engage with the transcription project.