GLOVER, Vt. — A steel beam recovered from Ground Zero after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that has spent more than a decade traveling across Vermont is now on public display at Currier’s Market in Glover as the state observes the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
Local connection to national tragedy
The beam came to Vermont through a chain of gratitude and small-town ties. Glover Fire Chief Philip Brooks said his mother, who worked as an EMT in Barton at the time of the attacks, raised money for a small town in the New York City area that had been heavily affected. In appreciation, that town’s mayor — who also served as a New York City fire lieutenant — gave Brooks’ mother a piece of steel recovered from Ground Zero.
Unlike many commemorative pieces circulated to departments and communities after 2001, this beam was never cleaned, Brooks said. It has since become both a local memorial and an educational artifact, carried to events and displayed for residents across the region.
On view at Currier’s Market
The beam was placed at Currier’s Market for the anniversary week to offer a central, accessible location where residents could reflect and view the artifact. Raymond Sweeney, owner of Currier’s Market, said having the beam in the store brought the history close to the people of Glover.
“(It’s) crazy that its been 25 years. It doesn’t seem like it has been, but yet, it has been. So yeah, it’s just a full circle, I believe, that now we’ve got a piece of it in our store in the little town of Glover,”
Sweeney’s remarks underline how the beam has traveled from the site of a national trauma to quiet Vermont shops and fire stations, where it functions as both reminder and memorial.
Permanent home and public access
While the beam is on temporary display at Currier’s Market, its permanent home is the Glover Fire Station. Chief Brooks said he continues to bring the beam to community events so people who may not visit the firehouse can see it up close and reflect on its significance.
- Artifact: steel beam recovered from Ground Zero
- Temporary display: Currier’s Market, Glover
- Permanent home: Glover Fire Station
- Context: placed on display for the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11
Why this matters locally
The presence of the beam in a small Vermont town highlights the lasting, personal ways communities across the country processed the aftermath of 9/11. Many municipalities and fire departments received fragments or artifacts in the years after the attacks; this particular piece drew attention because it retains the grime and patina from Ground Zero and because of the direct, personal link to a Vermont EMT who organized relief efforts.
For Glover and neighboring towns, the beam is a tangible connection between local responders and the larger network of first responders who answered the call in New York. It serves as both a memorial and an educational object for younger residents who were not yet born or were very young when the attacks occurred.
How residents can view it
The beam is currently on display at Currier’s Market in Glover for the anniversary observances. Chief Brooks has said he will continue to bring the piece to events; residents interested in seeing it may look for announcements from Currier’s Market or the Glover Fire Department about upcoming public viewings.
| Item | Location |
|---|---|
| Temporary public display | Currier’s Market, Glover |
| Permanent storage | Glover Fire Station |
As communities across Vermont and the country observe the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11, artifacts such as this beam offer a focal point for remembrance and conversation about the lasting effects of that day on first responders and the families and towns connected to them.
Reporting from Orleans County.
