20+ Sobering 9/11 Memorials in Ohio (2023)

Many memorials around the country honor the men and women who lost their lives on 9/11/2001, including the Flight 93 National Memorial and the National September 11th Memorial and Museum in NYC.

But for those who cannot make the trek to one of those locations, we’ve put together a list of 9/11 Memorials in Ohio that you can visit any time of the year.

(This post has been updated for 2023)

Many of us can recall where we were and what we were doing when the first plane slammed into the Twin Towers on September 11th, 2001.

I was driving my kids to our monthly homeschool skate when I heard a plane had struck one of the World Trade Center Towers on the radio. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach. Let’s face it, commercial planes don’t fly into buildings every day.

It wasn’t long before we heard about the second plane. And a third. And a fourth. Followed by the collapse of not one but both iconic NYC structures, damage to the Pentagon, and a plane crashing into a field in Pennsylvania.

Fear gripped the nation as rumors of other hijacked planes circulated. Air travel came to a halt. Mother’s rushed to pick up their kids from school, people made a run on gas as lines to the gas stations circled blocks and blocked roads. Many sat glued to the TV, unable to believe what they were seeing.

I opted not to watch TV that day and the days following. I didn’t want my children to see the horrors the news anchors described.    

I visited the Flight 93 Memorial a few years after 9/11, before the current Visitor Center had been built. The experience was both surreal and heartbreaking. I had the same emotions when visiting the 9/11 Memorial in NYC or the little chapel across from the Twin Towers.

While traveling to Pennsylvania or NYC may be on your mind, you may be surprised to learn that Ohio has dozens of memorials you can visit, including the largest outside of NYC.

These 9/11 Memorials in Ohio honor those who lost their lives in the tragedy that struck our nation that fateful day in 2001.

September 11th Events in Ohio

In addition to the memorials honoring the fallen of September 11th, you’ll find several events happening around the state. Here are two that you may not want to miss.

Flags for 9/11 at the Statehouse

Flags for 9/11 at the Statehouse in Columbus is scheduled for September 7, 5:00 PM – September 12 – 12:00 PM. 2,977 flags will be arranged on the lawn to represent those who were lost that day.

Ohio State House, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH 43215

The National Veteran’s Memorial and Museum 9/11 Event

Also, in Columbus, the National Veteran’s Memorial and Museum will honor those who lost their lives, the first responders, and the Veterans who served on 9/11 during the Patriot Day Ceremony. This will be held on Sunday, September 11th, 2023 from noon to 1 p.m.

Plan to allow plenty of time to visit the rest of the museum that honors our Veterans.

9/11 Memorials in Ohio

1.            9/11 Memorial in Alliance

This memorial was designed by art students from the University of Mount Union. Symbolizing the jagged shards of aluminum rising from the rubble of the World Trade Center, this memorial is the only one in the country made with aluminum debris.

Silver Park, 2930 S Union Ave, Alliance, OH

2.          9/11 Memorial Park in Austintown

Unique in that this memorial incorporates pieces of each of the crash sites on 9/11. You’ll see remnants of the WTC, building stones from the Pentagon, and an urn that contains dirt from the crash site of Flight 93 in Youngstown’s Memorial Park.

1055 S Raccoon Rd, Austintown, OH 44515

3.            9/11 Memorial in Beavercreek

This memorial features a 23-foot piece of twisted steel from the North Tower of the WTC. This piece was transported to Beavercreek by two firefighters who were part of the Ohio Task Force One that assisted in rescue operations at Ground Zero.

Beavercreek Station, 1153 N Fairfield Rd, Beavercreek, OH

4.            9/11 Memorial in Brook Park

Created by Life Scout Nathan Vrzic, who wasn’t alive yet when 9/11 took place, This Eagle Scout project is a poignant memorial that features two granite flooring pieces from the WTC that are engraved to honor those who perished in the terrorist attacks. The granite is enclosed in wooden cases.

Veterans Memorial Park, 17487 Sylvia Dr, Brook Park, OH

5.          9/11 World Trade Center Steel Monument in Green Township

Green Township’s 9/11 Memorial features a 12-foot-long piece of steel from one of the WTC Towers.

6.          September 11th Memorial Wall in Columbus

Located at the corner of Front and Long Street in downtown Columbus, the memorial wall at Richter Park honors those who lost their lives on 9/11.

Richter Park, Front St/Long St, Columbus, OH

7.          9/11 Memorial in Dublin

Dublin’s 9-11 memorial is a piece of I-beam from the World Trade Center Towers. It is located in front of Washington Township Fire Station 93.

5825 Brand Rd, Dublin, OH

8.          Boulevard of 500 Flags

The memorial in Eastlake boasts remnants of all three crash sites displayed along their Boulevard of Flags.

35150 Lakeshore Blvd, Eastlake, OH 44095

9.          9/11 Public Safety Service Memorial in Sandusky County

Gibsonburg resident, Dan Slack, was crossing the George Washington Bridge in his semi when he saw the smoke from the World Trade Center’s North Tower. When the town decided to build a memorial using a 7000-pound piece of steel from Ground Zero (one of the largest pieces of the World Trade Center outside the Northeast), he agreed to pick it up and transport it back to Ohio.

Williams Park 145-199 E Stone St Gibsonburg, OH

10.          First Responders Park in Hilliard

When the First Responders Park in downtown Hilliard was constructed, it was the largest memorial honoring service personnel who responded to the 9/11 tragedy.

Today it has the largest collection of items salvaged from Ground Zero outside NYC. The twisted steel you see are beams from the Twin Towers.

The granite walls contain the names of all 2977 lives lost in NYC, PA, and Washington DC, and on the other side, you’ll find the nearly 400 service members who died that day.

The metal flame is made up of figures of people doing everyday things symbolizing what we were all doing when we heard the news and how we are all connected.

You can see this park at 5323-5337 Center St, Hilliard, OH 43026.

11.          Memorial for 9/11 in Kettering

This unique sculpture is also a solar calendar that lines up with eth stylus on the monument each year on September 11th.

Lincoln Park/Ackerman Blvd, Kettering, OH

12.            9/11 Memorial in Lakewood

Also featuring steel from the World Trade Center, you’ll find this memorial in front of Fire Station #1.

Fire Station 1, 14601 Madison Ave, Lakewood, OH

13.          Warren County 9/11 Memorial

The Emergency Services and 9/11 Memorial recognizes those lost in 9/11 and those emergency service providers who have perished in the line of duty while serving and protecting the citizens of America.

406 Justice Dr, Lebanon, OH 45036

14.          September 11th Memorial in Loveland

The Loveland-Symmes Fire Department displays flags that bear the names of those lost on September 11th. They also have a section of the North Tower on display.

Loveland-Symmes Fire Department, 126 S Lebanon Rd, Loveland, OH 45140

15.            9/11 Memorial near Marion

The Fort Morrow Fire Department displays a 16-foot-long beam from the WTC.

Fort Morrow Fire Department, 306 N Marion St, Waldo, OH

16.          The Medina 9/11 Memorial

A two-thousand-pound steel beam is situated in a small park surrounded by 40 boxwood shrubs, symbolizing those on Flight 93 who lost their lives.

300 W. Reagan Pkwy, Medina, OH

17.          9/11 Memorial Garden in Painesville

This garden is located in front of the fire department. The focal point is a portion of a steel beam from the World Trade Center.

Painesville City Fire Department Station, 28 Mentor Ave, Painesville, OH

18.          Police and Firefighters 9/11 Memorial in Parma Heights

This memorial was created to serve as the community’s commitment to honor those who lost their lives on that fateful day, to remember those who have served, and to support those whose lives were forever changed because of September 11th.

Fire Department, 6184 Pearl Rd, Parma Heights, OH

19.            911 First Responders Memorial in Toledo

Standing 9 1/2 feet tall with a Bucyrus Erie Crane welded to the end of a 15,000-pound steel beam salvaged from the World Trade Center and flying an American Flag, this memorial is situated in Toledo Memorial Park Cemetery. The beam points directly east to the World Trade Center.

Toledo Memorial Park Cemetery & Mausoleum, Monroe St/Harroun Rd, Sylvania, OH

20.          Freedom Grove 9/11 Memorial

This small park is built around a twisted beam from the World Trade Center Towers and pays respects to those lost on that day which included 28-year-old Alicia Nicole Titus, Champaign County resident and United Airlines Flight Attendant who was on United Flight 175 that struck the South Tower.

St Rt 55/US Rt 68, Urbana, OH

21.          First Responders Park in Westerville

This memorial park features a jagged piece of steel salvaged from the WTC towers. This park also includes memorials to honor first responders who have died in the line of duty in Westerville.

374 W Main St, Westerville, OH

Mott’s Military Museum

In addition to the above memorials, you’ll find an exhibit at Mott’s Military Museum that includes an extensive collection of 9/11 artifacts.

The Museum has many 9/11 artifacts that were recovered from ground zero. They will also have the 42-foot-long fire truck from the Fort Pitt Fire station, also recovered from ground zero on display.

A 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony is typically held at Mott’s Military Museum. We’ll have more info to come.

5075 South Hamilton Road Groveport, OH

Do you know of a 9/11 Memorial in Ohio that isn’t on our list? Comment below, and we can add it.