LYNCHBURG, Va. (1010 WINS) -- Thousands of area residents traveled here Saturday to sign steel beams that will one day become part of the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower planned for the World Trade Center site in New York.
The beams, the largest of which weighs 35 tons, were forged in Luxembourg and shipped to Banker Steel Co., which affixed to them 6-inch plates from Germany to make them stronger.
Three of the beams were painted white to display messages from the public.
The steady stream of people made their mark on the fixtures one day after New York Gov. George Pataki and 100 workers steelworkers signed their names and held a ceremony honoring the completion of the first nine beams.
Diane Hall, who came with her 2-year-old grandson, James Rankin, said the Sept. 11 attacks, which killed 2,749 people at the trade center, were a travesty.
"If anybody can do anything to let those people know that we care, then that's what we ought to do," she told the Lynchburg, Va. News & Advance.
The throng of people was just what Banker Steel President Don Banker hoped to see.
"There was the emotional attachment I thought there would be," he said. "We do care as Americans. This tragedy, as bad as it was, has really drawn us together. When you're out there signing the beam, it really doesn't matter what party you're in."
Many people brought digital cameras to capture the moment, and some grew emotional as they scribbled their names. Others were too young to understand it all.
Buck Buchanan, who works for the company, took it all in proudly.
"It is affecting different people in different ways. It's just a great thing," he said.
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