Resources Documenting Staten Island's Response to 9/11 at Other Institutions

A GUIDE TO RESOURCES DOCUMENTING
STATEN ISLAND’S RESPONSE TO 9/11
AT OTHER INSTITUTIONS

Compiled by Lisa Holland, Project Archivist, in June 2007.

About the Guide
This guide is intended to help researchers locate material useful in understanding the impact of the events of September 11th on Staten Island and its residents. The main focus is on the response of Staten Islanders to this tragedy. Most references are web-based; some are references to local collections in cultural institutions on Staten Island.

Table of Contents

Artifacts

Interviews and Testimonials

Photographs

Schools

Artifacts

National Museum of American History: The collection September 11: Bearing Witness to History at the National Museum of American History represents a work in progress. It embodies the best efforts of staff across the National Museum of American History to document and preserve a wide range of stories about September 11.
Of particular interest is the Staten Island recovery site material. The collection includes tools and clothing used by recovery workers, various signs posted at the recovery site, and testimonials by museum curators related to their experiences in collecting this material.

New York State Museum: The Museum has a permanent exhibit entitled The World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery, Response. The exhibit tells the history of the World Trade Center, the September 11 attacks, the rescue efforts, the evidence recovery operation at the Fresh Kills landfill, and the public response to the September 11th events.

Interviews and Testimonials

City Hall Library
Baim, Earl J., P.E. September 11, 2001: a personal account as witnessed by civil engineer at the St. George Ferry Terminal, Staten Island, N.Y. 2002.

The September 11 Digital Archive (http://old.911digitalarchive.org)
Stories of September 11: a search can be done for stories related to Staten Island. Some are by friends and relatives of victims from Staten Island; others are accounts of survivors. There are also simple accounts by people who were on Staten Island on 9/11 and what that experience was like.

The Sonic Memorial Project (www.sonicmemorial.org)
The Sonic Memorial Project has a section specifically related to the recovery effort at the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island. Audio files recount the experiences of recovery workers.

All Available Boats
"All Available Boats: Harbor Voices from 9/11" consists of a series of interviews with members of New York's maritime community and it documents their response to the attack on the World Trade Center and their role in the subsequent evacuation of Lower Manhattan. The series includes an interview with James Parese, Captain of the Staten Island Ferry boat Newhouse.

Photographs

The September 11th Digital Archive (http://old.911digitalarchive.org)
Still Images: A search for “Staten Island” yields 17 images. Some images are of the Twin Towers in the decades before 9/11; others are of Staten Island’s response.

Staten Island Historical Society
Collection, created in 2002, is entitled “Indelible Memories.” Includes photographs of tattoos Staten Islanders had created to memorialize the victims of 9/11.

Schools

P.S. 29: The September 11 Memorial at P.S. 29 in Castleton Corners consists of two trees with dedication plaques in front of the school. The two trees symbolize the Twin Towers. The first tree is dedicated to members of the school who lost family members on September 11th, while the second is dedicated to all victims of the attack. The trees were planted on Flag Day 2002 by the children of the school. Maintenance of the memorial is done by the students, the custodial staff, and the volunteer efforts of a local landscaper. For more information contact Principal Linda Manfredi, 718-442-2891.

I.S. 51: I.S. 51 has a large mural painted on the side of the school building. The mural is dedicated to all victims of September 11th with an emphasis on FDNY, NYPD, and Port Authority workers. The Spartan Leaders, a student organization, raised money for the creation of the mural. Marco Cammayo, a Staten Islander and former I.S. 51 student, painted the mural. The mural contains the names of the teachers and students involved in the creation of the mural as well as the handprints of the students. For more information contact Nicole Martarela-Heyman, 718-981-0502.

The College of Staten Island, CUNY
Archives & Special Collections
Library, 1L-216
2800 Victory Boulevard
Staten Island, New York 10314

Telephone: 718.982.4128
Fax: 718.982.4127
Email: archives@mail.csi.cuny.edu

Updated June 11, 2008