Iron Worker Dennis Quinn’s Hard Hat
date: label: Date made
content: 1986
name: label: maker
content: Mine Safety Appliances Company
notes: label: Description
content: On September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York City collapsed after being struck by hijacked commercial airplanes in a terrorist attack. Witnessing the unfolding tragedy on television, Dennis Quinn, of the Local 1 ironworker’s union in Chicago, Illinois, recognized his specialized skills in erecting and demolishing steel structures could be vital to the rescue and recovery efforts.
label: Description
content: Six days after the attacks, on September 17, Quinn drove from Chicago to New York City with four colleagues, including his younger brother, Leo. For the next six weeks, working the 4 PM to midnight shift, seven days a week, Quinn and his team dedicated themselves to untangling and removing the immense debris pile at Ground Zero.
label: Description
content: The experiences of ironworkers like Quinn became an essential part of the historical record collected by curators documenting the September 11 attacks. Initially, there was hope of finding survivors, but as time passed and the likelihood of rescue diminished, the focus shifted entirely to debris removal. Ironworkers frequently paused their work when potential evidence for the post-attack investigation was discovered, halting all operations until investigators could examine the findings.
label: Description
content: Dennis Quinn recalled that first responders, such as fire rescue and police, expressed gratitude for the ironworkers' presence. He described the massive debris pile, simply as the "Pile," as resembling a warzone, with hazardous conditions and widespread destruction. The contributions of ironworkers were crucial to making the area safer and more navigable for all those involved in the recovery operation.
place: label: worn
content: United States: New York, Manhattan, World Trade Center
topic: label: associated subject
content: September 11 Terrorist Attacks
label: related event
content: September 11th Attacks
label: related event
content: Attack on the World Trade Center
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, 9/11
label: See more items in
content: National Treasures exhibit
label: See more items in
content: September 11
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Kendrick, Kathleen M. and Peter C. Liebhold. Smithsonian Treasures of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Dennis Quinn
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2002.0378.01
label: accession number
content: 2002.0378
label: catalog number
content: 2002.0378.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: hard hat
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 6 in x 9 in x 11 in; 15.24 cm x 22.86 cm x 27.94 cm