Darien in DuPage County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
9/11 Memorial
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 3, 2026
1. 9/11 Memorial Marker
Structural Strategies
"Forever hold our heroes close to our hearts...343"
PSSI
From the ashes we rise & revere God & country
Erected 2011 by Tri-State Fire Protection District.
Topics and series. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: 9/11 Attacks • Patriots & Patriotism. In addition, it is included in the World Trade Center Beams series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 11, 2001.
Location. 41° 45.361′ N, 87° 57.382′ W. Marker is in Darien, Illinois, in DuPage County. It is on Plainfield Road (County Route 31) 0.1 miles west of Clarendon Hills Road, on the right when traveling east. The memorial is in front of the Tri-State Fire Protection District building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 419 Plainfield Rd, Darien
this page online
Regionally, this marker and memorial is in Greater Chicago. It is also in the American Midwest. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Darien Peace Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); POW-MIA Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Old Lace School (approx. one mile away); Old Lace School — 1925 (approx. one mile away); Get Your "Chicks" on Rte 66 (approx. 1.1 miles away); Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket (approx. 1.1 miles away); a different marker also named 9/11 Memorial (approx. 1.6 miles away); TWA Flight 529 Memorial (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Darien.
More about this marker. A statue of a firefighter is next to this memorial.
It appears to be one of two different 9/11 steel beams on display in Darien. Another
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 3, 2026
2. 9/11 Memorial
This memorial is about two miles from the site of an airplane crash that, when it happened in 1961, almost exactly 40 years before the 9/11 attacks, was the deadliest air disaster in American history up to that point. During the early morning of September 1, 1961, TWA Flight 529 crashed in a cornfield that today is a site bounded by 59th and 61st Streets on the north and south and Bentley Avenue and Clarendon Hills Road on the west and east. A memorial to Flight 529, erected in 2021, can be found near the crash site in Willowbrook.
Also see . . . Community Comes Out for September 11 Memorial Dedication. This 2011 article on Patch.com includes video of the ceremony unveiling the memorial.
Excerpt: "Three hundred and forty-three firefighters died on September 11. On Sunday, members of the Tri-State Fire Department each took turns placing glass marbles into the water at the base of the memorial—one marble for each firefighter who was lost that day."(Submitted on October 5, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 3, 2026
3. 9/11 Memorial
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 3, 2026
4. Engravings around 9/11 Memorial
Credits. This page was last revised on October 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on October 3, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 4, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
