COLUMBIA, S.C. — As the nation prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, the South Carolina State Museum is remembering the attacks and the state’s response with a new exhibit, South Carolina Remembers 9/11: 25 Years Later.

Now on display in the museum’s Main Lobby, the exhibit commemorates the attacks and examines how South Carolinians responded in the days, months and years that followed. It features personal stories, mementos, news footage and artifacts documenting how communities across the state came together in the aftermath.

“Twenty-five years later, there is an entire generation of people who have grown up without a personal memory of 9/11,” said SCSM Curator of History Laura Cothran. “I hope this exhibition encourages conversations across generations about how the historic events of 9/11 brought us together as neighbors, as communities, and as a nation that will never forget.”

The exhibit also highlights a promise between Columbia and New York that dates back more than 150 years.

In 1867, following the burning of Columbia during the Civil War, New York firefighters raised money to send a fire hose carriage to the devastated South Carolina capital. In response, Columbia promised to return the favor if New York ever faced a similar need.

That promise was fulfilled following the September 11 attacks.

In 2001, students and staff at White Knoll Middle School raised more than $500,000 to help replace Ladder 101, a Brooklyn fire truck destroyed in the attacks. In recognition of their efforts, the Red Hook Raiders gifted the school a mangled piece of the original Ladder 101 truck door that was recovered from Ground Zero.

The students and staff involved in the fundraising effort were also featured on the Today show. A portion of that footage, along with the fire truck door, is included in the exhibit.

The display also explores South Carolina’s connection to 9/11 through astronaut Frank Culbertson, a Holly Hill native. Culbertson was the only American aboard the International Space Station on the day of the attacks and photographed the smoke and debris rising from Lower Manhattan from space. That photograph is included in the exhibition.

The museum will host a curator talk with Cothran September 11 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Main Lobby. The program will highlight items in the exhibition and explore South Carolina’s role in remembering those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Cothran will be joined by Dr. Jeffrey Brodie, SCSM chief engagement and content officer, who was responsible for collecting memorabilia and artifacts in the aftermath of the attacks.

South Carolina Remembers 9/11: 25 Years Later will remain on view in the museum lobby through January 3, 2027. Access to the display is included with general museum admission.

For more information, visit scmuseum.org.

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