(WDRB+WAVE/WKYT) — Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a twisted piece of World Trade Center steel stands in a small Louisville park — a permanent reminder of a national tragedy and the local trucking company that helped preserve it.
In 2009, following years of federal investigations at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Maryland, more than 100 structural pieces of the Twin Towers needed to be moved back to New York. Louisville-based Mercer Transportation was tapped to execute the emotional, high-stakes move.
The company secured 25 flatbed trucks to transport the mangled steel in a massive, police-escorted caravan.
“We had 25 trucks in a caravan with the police escort and the whole deal, and were able to move the freight,” said Dale Corum, with Mercer Transportation, recalling the solemn gravity of the two-day trip.
As the caravan traveled, the response from the public was overwhelming.
“All along the way there were people standing on the side of the roads waving flags,” Corum said. “There were schools that shut down so the kids could come out and stand along the interstates.”
Drivers described the journey as the “move of a lifetime,” with some having to temporarily pull over because they were overcome with emotion.
While most of the structural beams were distributed to military bases and museums across the country, Mercer Transportation was permitted to keep one of the artifacts in recognition of their logistics support.
In 2011, the company established a memorial park on its campus at the corner of 12th and Main streets in Louisville’s Russell neighborhood. A formal procession of police and firefighters welcomed the beam to its permanent home.
The park honors not only those who died, but also survivors of the attacks, including three Louisville residents — Gary Grigg, Jeff Hart and Rob Williams — who are commemorated on a plaque at the site.
“We feel like we need to be a good custodian of what really belongs to our country,” Corum said. “We want people to enjoy it. We want people to think about what our country has been through and what sacrifices have been made.”