Located: 21 SE Court Square (in the natural area on the north side of Whit’s Custard)

​

The memorial is called “Together We Rise”. 

Description:  The beam is located in the middle of a circle and is constructed with the beam being held vertically together between an outline of the Twin Towers which is then encircled by life size figures in the images of first responders cut out of steel and powder coated. 

The memorial was dedicated to the nearly 3,000 victims who perished on September 11, 2001 and to the first responders who were willing to sacrifice their lives to save others.  May we NEVER FORGET the sacrifice made that day.

​

In January of 2021, David Nance, a local sculptor and artist was commissioned to design the memorial for the 20th anniversary of 9/11.  Several years earlier Chuck and Jennifer Talley had purchased at auction a large steel beam that had been recovered from the debris of the World Trade Center bombing.   They had always wanted to turn the steel beam into a memorial.  Several local business owners pitched in and donated time, materials and funding to construct the memorial which was installed on September 11, 2021 to honor the 20th anniversary of 9/11. 

The original beam was recovered in an interesting way.  A local veteran sponsored a local fireman from the area to go and work on the recovery efforts following 9/11.  The beam was brought back to Alamance County by the fireman as a token of appreciation for the support.  The veteran held an auction because he was moving and needed to downsize.  This particular auction item located way back in a garage caught the eye of Jennifer Talley.  It has strange markings on it and symbols cut out in the beam.  One of the scribblings read, “I’m an old man who found a quiet place in the city that he loves”.  The cut-out symbols looked similar to those of the Mohicans Iron Workers who helped build the twin towers.  The writings perhaps made by the original construction crew that commonly signed and wrote graffiti on the internal beams of the structure.  It was an interesting beam and once she learned its origin, she knew exactly what to do with it.  You see back in 2001, right after 9/11, the Talleys had organized several fund-raising events to help the families of 9/11.  The 9/11 room located in the back of the Graham Soda Shop was dedicated to honoring those first responders and as a reminder that we should never forget the ultimate sacrifice made that day.  She had through the years always remarked to her husband, they Graham should put up a memorial to those that were lost that day.  She enlisted the help of local sculptor; David Nance and a model was created and then everyone got to work building the life-size first responder cut outs.  These figures encircled the twin tower cut outs which hold the original beam up and this symbolizes the memorial’s name “Together We Rise”. 

You can watch a re-creation of the making of the 9/11 memorial installation here: 9/11 Dedication Video. The memorial is used to educate the public on the events that day.  You can listen to the audio about 9/11 by clicking here 9/11 Memorial Audio  

 

Sometimes it’s a difficult thing for us to remember 9/11 and for us to speak about the events that day but it is our obligation to do so.  Teaching school aged children about the 9/11 attacks has always been difficult but with the passing of time has brought on a new challenge.  Students today have no memories of 9/11 because none of them were even born in 2001.   They don’t remember the news reports etched in our minds from that day.  We hope that this memorial will be used as a learning tool for teachers and our community so that this story of bravery and patriotism can be told.

Great appreciation and thanks to David Nance, Chuck and Jennifer Talley, EP Gates Construction, Cameran and Jilian Moracle from Moracle Metalas and CM Mobile Welding, Ronnie Stallings from Carolina ChemStrip Advanced Powder Coatings, and Paul & Paula Crotts from Graham Furniture for making this memorial a reality.