Building of the Memorial
More Than a Memorial
Gordon Haberman, whose daughter, Andrea, was killed in the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center, worked together with other community members—Jerry Gosa, a close family member and Kewaskum High School teacher; Larry Ammel, a retired Kewaskum High School teacher and president of the Kewaskum Area Arts Council; and Matt Heiser, Kewaskum village administrator—to procure an artifact to be used for a 9/11 memorial in Kewaskum, Wis. After a lengthy process, the Kewaskum Area Arts Council was awarded a section of I-beam from the North Tower of the World Trade Center to be used in a public memorial. The 2,200-pound steel beam arrived in Kewaskum in August 2014.
Memorial Milestones
![A loader is removing the steel beam from a trailer.](https://www.wisconsin911memorial.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Steel-Arrives-in-Kewaskum-768x576.jpg)
The 2,200-pound steel beam from the North Tower of the World Trade Center arrives in Kewaskum.
![A view of the Kewaskum Municipal Building Annex site where the Memorial would soon be built.](https://www.wisconsin911memorial.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Clearing-new-memorial-site-768x512.jpg)
The site for the Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial & Education Center was approved to be situated in front of the Kewaskum Municipal Building Annex, located at 1308 Fond du Lac Ave. in Kewaskum, Wis.
![A sketch of the Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial Layout](https://www.wisconsin911memorial.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/9-11-Memorial-Plan-03.07.19-768x550.jpg)
The Kewaskum Village Board approved the concept plan for the Memorial.
![Gordon Haberman and County Board Chairperson Kriefall shake hands after passing the Washington County resolution](https://www.wisconsin911memorial.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/County-Resolution-Signing-768x576.jpg)
The Washington County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution designating the Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial as the official memorial in Washington County to commemorate the terrorist attacks.
![Members of the board of directors shovel dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony](https://www.wisconsin911memorial.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Memorial-Groundbreaking-768x512.jpg)
A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Memorial.
![Governor Tony Evers signing the Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial Highway Bill into law](https://www.wisconsin911memorial.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Gov.-Evers-Bill-Signing-768x576.jpg)
Wisconsin Act 20 was signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers, designating the portion of State Highway 28 between Interstate 41 and State Highway 144 as the "Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial Highway."
![A group gathers in front of the Memorial steel to cut the ribbon and officially open the Memorial](https://www.wisconsin911memorial.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Ribbon-Cutting-768x512.jpg)
The dedication and grand opening ceremony of the Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial & Education Center was held.
Photos courtesy of Anne Trautner, Kewaskum Statesman