Fall/Winter 2009

Don’t expect to see a repeating video of the World Trade Center’s twin towers exploding. The 100 images and artifacts displayed in the small but powerful Ground Zero Museum Workshop in New York City focus instead on the incredible spirit of those whose lives were intimately touched by the 9/11 recovery effort.

Museum owner Gary Marlon Suson is the official photographer at Ground Zero for the Uniformed Firefighters Association. Suson spent between six and seven months at the site, 19 hours a day, photographing the recovery efforts of men, women and K-9 dogs who relied on incredible inner strength and physical stamina to do their jobs.

A self-guided audio tour tells the stories behind each photo and artifact. One image shows two little girls wearing angel wings at Ground Zero on a cold December night in 2001 — they are singing Christmas carols for recovery workers who had briefly stopped to eat.

“The girls represented all that was pure and innocent in the world, in contrast to the evil perpetuated on 9/11,” says Suson.

Artifacts include a clock frozen at 10:02 a.m., the time the first tower collapsed, and a Bible page from the Book of Genesis found on site.

Tours are led every day of the week except Wednesdays. Only 24 people are allowed on each one- to two-hour tour, and advance tickets are required. Families are encouraged to visit the museum before viewing Ground Zero, eight minutes away. No graphic images or personal belongings of 9/11 victims are on view.

“It is important for children who weren’t even around during the events of September 11 to understand what terrorism on our home soil is, so they may appreciate the beauty of living in a free and peaceful society,” says Suson.

- State - New York

- Type - Historic Tours

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