Wreckage from World Trade Center now monument in Rockville, Minn.

ROCKVILLE, Minn. (KMSP) - Just off Highway 23 in Rockville, Minn., 988 pounds of twisted steel bears the weight of a nation’s pain and sorrow. A steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center is now part of a monument honoring veterans and first responders in the town.

“We didn’t know whether we would receive it or not, how we would pick it up, how we would fund anything, but we had faith and we decided to go forward,” said Tim Lingl, a member of the committee that helped build the monument.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has been distributing artifacts from the 9/11 attacks to communities and organizations across the country, as long as those artifacts are used in a public memorial. 

Committee member Rosie Steil made the request, and after it was granted, committee members raised funds for more than a year to build the monument.  It was dedicated on the 15th anniversary of the attacks. 

“I think after 15 years, it brings us closer to what changed us forever,” said Denise McNeal, a Rockville resident.  “And I think it’s so wonderful that this little town of Rockville, Minnesota could have a piece of the World Trade Center.”

The monument sits outside the Rockville Fire Department, and organizers hope it serves as a lasting reminder of the events of that day.