In the aftermath of 9/11, the U.S. flag – symbolic of strength and rebuilding – gave hope to Ground Zero recovery workers and people across this country.

As part of the 9/11 Memorial Museum’s mission to “recognize the endurance of those who survived, the courage of those who risked their lives to save others, and the compassion of all who supported us in our darkest hours,” museum curators have been collecting tribute items that draw on the symbolism of the flag.

See a sample of tributes to 9/11 that incorporate the American flag in an exclusive online gallery.  Additional images and details are also available on Pinterest.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff 

On 9/11, many people recall a day that began like any other, marked by a strikingly clear blue sky. They can vividly identify where they were or what they were doing as the attacks began to unfold.

Prior to the crash of the first plane into the North Tower, New York was bustling with activity, typical of the morning rush. Parents sent children off to school, which had just resumed after Labor Day. Many hastened to the polls to do their civic duty by voting in the city’s primary elections. Some slept in, slow to shake off the Monday Night Football game that ran late into the night. In retrospect, these quotidian activities may have played a substantial role in saving lives, as they placed many World Trade Center employees far from their workstations, delaying the early birds.

The 9/11 Memorial Museum is actively acquiring materials relating to the Sept. 11  primaries as part of a larger effort to document the disruptions to notions of “normalcy” that prevailed before 8:46 a.m.. One example is a campaign button worn by supporters of Betsy Gotbaum, who was running as a Democrat for public advocate. Gotbaum was on the streets that morning, urging passerby’s to vote.  After the attacks, then-governor George Pataki declared a statewide emergency and rescheduled the elections for Sept. 25. The button recalls New York City’s focus on the hotly fought contests across the five boroughs.

Other election-related materials in the permanent collection include various brochures, pamphlets and mailers. This collection is a work in progress, and the museum’s curator would be eager to receive additional Sept. 11 primary day artifacts. All are invited to help participate in the creation of the exhibition by sharing memories, objects, photos and other materials with Museum. Donate through our website or contact the Memorial and Museum by phone, 212 312 8800.

By Jan Ramirez, Chief Curator of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

Alexandra Drakakis, Administrative Curatorial Assistant for the 9/11 Memorial and Museum contributed.

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

The above video is from Fox News' The Rise of Freedom series featuring hangar 17 at John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens, where World Trade Center remnant steel, crushed emergency vehicles and other artifacts recovered from ground zero have been housed since 2001.

Read more about hangar 17 at FoxNews.com.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

A sloping ramp will lead visitors into bedrock and into the space of the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Yesterday, a small group of news reporters and 9/11 victims' families members were led on a tour of the space by Memorial Museum Director Alice Greenwald and museum architects Steven Davis and Mark Wagner. The tour walked under the high-ceiling chamber, by the so-called Survivors Staircase and the Last Column.

Update: Here's the AP report. In the Wall Street Journal, Davis admitted his design approach is vastly different from a majority of museums. The so-called slurry wall and foundations box columns for the south tower are archeolgical compoenents that are part of his design as well as exhibits. "The exhibits are the icon. It's the inverse of a traditional museum in those respects," said Davis, partner of Davis Brody Bond LLP.  

By Michael Frazier, Sr. Communications Manager for the 9/11 Memorial

An online slideshow and story from DNAinfo.com reveals some of the large artifacts that are heading for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in the fall.

According to DNAinfo’s Julie Shapiro, “The items include a 47,000-pound piece of the North Tower’s antenna and a 10,000-pound elevator motor that once propelled workers up into the skyscrapers.”

The 9/11 Memorial will open September 11, 2011, and the museum will open in 2012.

By Meghan Walsh, Communications Associate for the 9/11 Memorial

Chief Curator Jan Ramirez is immersed in the Sept. 11  aftermath, the personal stories of courage, loss & resilience,  the intimate memories of 2,982 victims she never knew personally, and the countless artifacts, images and recorded sounds that define this transformative day and the  post-9/11 existence.

Ramirez came to her position at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in spring, 2006, with extensive experience working on 9/11-related projects. At the New York Historical Society, where she was vice president and director of the museum, she and her colleagues mounted an ambitious series of interpretive exhibits, public programs and collecting initiatives in the wake of the terrorist attacks known as “History Responds.”

In 2004, she was appointed to serve as a resource member of the WTC Memorial Center Advisory Committee convened by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, or LMDC, which spearheaded the drafting of a educational and content mission for a museum interpretive center complementing the 9/11 Memorial at the WTC site. She also participated in the Professional Services Committee of the September’s Mission educational web site project - that matured into the Living Memorial archive overseen by the Voices of September 11th - and served as a curatorial consultant for the documentary film "Objects & Memory," which explores museums and their response to 9/11.

As an independent museum consultant, she has worked on a variety of interpretive, collections development, and long range planning projects for a range of clients. Prior to her positions at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and the New York Historical Society, she formerly served as Deputy Director & Chief Curator at the Museum of the City of New York, Chief Curator at the Hudson River Museum of Westchester, and as a Research Associate at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She holds a Ph.D and M.A. in American Studies from Boston University and a B.A in English Literature from Dartmouth College.

Because of her unique expertise, Ramirez has been interviewed in several news stories related to the 9/11 disaster.

By Michael Frazier, Sr. Communications Manager for the 9/11 Memorial