September 11: Bearing Witness to History Touches Visitors Across the Country

After a compelling three-year tour, the exhibition that recounted one of the most horrifying days in American history has ended. September 11: Bearing Witness to History originally opened at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (NMAH) on the first anniversary of the attacks. Over one million people visited this venue alone, and thousands more attended September 11 as it traveled to Texas, Tennessee, California, Pennsylvania, Washington, Missouri, and finally Massachusetts.

Each person who has worked on this exhibition, whether gathering information, collecting artifacts, or drafting text, has been personally affected by the experience. Visitors across the nation were also deeply moved by the exhibition. In the "Tell Us Your Story" section, visitors shared their memories of the attacks and reflected on how September 11 affected their lives. Here are just a few of the thousands of stories collected during the tour:

Click on an image to read

These and other response cards have been gathered from each of the six host museums and archived by the National Museum of American History, whose curators continue to collect materials from 9/11 and to study the impact of these tragic events on American history and life.

>>Read more about this exhibition from the SITES archive

>>View the National Museum of American History's September 11 collection

>>Share your story with the National Museum of American History

Press Releases

Special Features

FAQS about SITES

In the News

On the Blog