Peoria Honors the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 with Exhibition and Remembrance Ceremony

We Remember: Stories from the National September 11 Memorial & Museum will be open from September 5, 2026 - April 11, 2027

The museum will host a 25th Anniversary Remembrance event on September 11, 2026, at 10 a.m.

The nation's first-of-its-kind exhibition, curated in collaboration with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, We Remember: Stories from the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, features many objects never before displayed, including this FDNY helmet retrieved from a rescued firefighter.

PEORIA, Ill., Sept. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's first-of-its-kind exhibition curated in full partnership with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and featuring many objects never before displayed publicly debuts in Peoria this weekend. Commemorating 25 years since the September 11, 2001, attacks, We Remember: Stories from the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, an America 250 exhibition, opens to the public on September 5, 2026, and runs through April 11, 2027.

We Remember is the first exhibition curated entirely with objects from the National September 11 Memorial & Museum's permanent collection, with many exhibited publicly for the first time. Included are items used in the rescue and recovery efforts, such as gear from a surviving firefighter rescued from the rubble, first-hand accounts from survivors and first responders through exclusive video footage, a piece of steel from the towers pulled from "Ground Zero," and significant artistic responses created in the aftermath, such as Eric Fischl's bronze of a falling woman.

Supplementary objects from the Peoria Riverfront Museum's permanent collection and objects on loan from the New York Historical Society and the Lincoln Heritage Museum are also in the exhibition, connecting the tragic losses from 9/11.

Highlighting Peoria's connections, stories from employees of Peoria-based insurance firm RLI Corporations, who maintained an office in the World Trade Center North Tower, will be featured, along with a dedication to the memory of Charles "Chip" Chan, the only Peoria-born victim to have perished in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Through these objects, oral histories, artworks, and accounts of service and resilience, visitors will encounter the many ways Americans came together in the aftermath to mourn, rebuild, serve, commemorate, and find meaning amid unimaginable loss. As America reflects on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this one-of-a-kind exhibition is a testament to freedom, sustained not only by ideals, but by service, sacrifice, and a shared commitment to remember.

STATEWIDE 25TH ANNIVERSARY REMEMBRANCE EVENT ON 9/11/26

In conjunction with the exhibition, the public is invited to join with the Greater Peoria community in a statewide 25th Anniversary Remembrance event on September 11, 2026, at 10 a.m. at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, in partnership with the City of Peoria and Peoria County, Illinois. The event is held in conjunction with the nation's first-of-its-kind exhibition in full partnership with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

The 25th Anniversary Remembrance will be led by honorary chair Peoria Fire Chief Shawn Sollberger, along with the museum board, donors, and members, first responders, area students, families, community leaders, veterans, and public officials. Joining officials in the ceremony are Julia and John Chan, parents of Charles "Chip" Chan, the only Peorian who died in the attacks.

The event is free and open to the public. Tickets can be reserved on the museum's website.

This exhibition is presented by the Bielfeldt Foundation.

Sponsored by Advanced Medical Transport, RLI, Mike and Lori Gudat, Patricia and Anthony Cutilletta, Sally Snyder, Lisa and Bob Gates, Craig Kliethermes, John and Julia Chan, Sid P. Ruckriegel and Andrew A. Rand Charitable Foundation, America 250 donors, Visionary Society.

For more information, visit peoriariverfrontmuseum.org.

About Peoria Riverfront Museum

The Peoria Riverfront Museum is the only multidisciplinary institution of its kind in the nation combining art, science, history and achievement. The museum is dedicated to using its collections, exhibitions, giant screen theater, dome planetarium, and programming to tell the stories that build confidence, spark life-long learning, and unleash the full talent and genius of every individual.

Contact: Melody Konrad, Peoria Riverfront Museum assistant director of marketing and communications at [email protected].

SOURCE Peoria Riverfront Museum