CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Some 50 people gathered in the atrium of Charlottesville Fire Station 10 on Fontaine Ave. for a 25th anniversary remembrance of Sept. 11, 2001. Artifacts from all three sites involved in the terrorist attacks are displayed in the station’s lobby and plans were announced to turn that space into a permanent, curated 9/11 museum.

“When we first did this many years ago, I knew we had to settle for a memorial place and that was okay,” said Virginia National Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Glenn Rust. “But more and more you see people walking by this site and they either don’t know about it, or that look at it and go, ‘I wonder what that is.'”

During Friday’s event, former fire chief Charles Werner shared stories about building what was supposed to initially be a two-bay station into a four-bay station when it opened in Dec. 2013, complete with underground parking and training facilities.

He shared about the building of the atrium, where a four-ton piece of steel from the World Trade Center in New York hangs. And he outlined the acquisition of stones from the Pentagon the Shanksville, Pa. location where Flight 93 went down.

At the ceremony Friday morning, speakers took pauses for periods of silence, for bells tolling at the times of impact, and for a bagpipe playing of Amazing Grace.

The bell tolled at 8:46 a.m. when the World Trade Center North Tower was struck by American Airlines Flight 11, at 9:03 a.m. when United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower, at 9:37 a.m. when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, and finally at 10:03 a.m. when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a field.

“I hope we’ll always continue to remember this day because it really affected not only the people that lost their lives that day, but as you know people have continued to die from the effects they incurred from the recovery process at Ground Zero,” said Julian Taliaferro, who was Charlottesville Fire Chief on that day in 2001, retiring in 2005 after serving in the position 34 years.

Werner was a deputy fire chief at that time who became city fire chief in 2005, and was leading the fire department during the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

He told the story of how CFD came into possession of the artifacts, and noted the Fontaine atrium is one of only a few places in the country with elements from all three sites.

Werner said it all started around 2009 when he wrote an article to raise money for 9/11 families.

“Afterward, a guy called me who was a retired firefighter and president of 9/11 families and said, ‘Listen, I appreciate what you did for us and I want to let you know about this 9/11 steel program,'” Werner said.

Werner listened and submitted an application, and Charlottesville was chosen as a recipient. Werner said a Charlottesville delegation was invited to Hanger 17 at JFK Airport where the World Trade Center debris was taken.

As they looked around at pieces of steel, they found a piece that had FDNY on it three times and learned that remains of three firefighters were found underneath it before it was removed. They chose that piece of steel and later transported it to Charlottesville where it was first displayed at the 10th anniversary 9/11 commemoration at Ting Pavilion.

After they brought the steel to Charlottesville, Werner said Battalion Chief David Hartman proposed obtaining something from each of the 9/11 sites. Werner said he called the Army which gave the city the Pentagon stone on an indefinite loan.

“And the Shanksville stone was similar after we finally found it,” Werner told Cville Right Now. “Getting it was government property because it was owned by the Park Service, and when they raised what they did with the Pentagon, the curator said we can do the same thing.”

It was Hartman’s idea to have an atrium on the new Station 10 to be constructed on Fontaine to have an atrium to display the artifacts, and Werner said money was raised.

During the ceremony, which was emceed by WINA Morning News host Jay James, Werner for the first time publicly showed and passed around to attendees a core sample the city was given from the World Trade Center site.

Hartman presented Rust with a piece of steel a welder took out of the four-ton beam. Rust said we should remember 9/11 because it is a time this country came together in the face of adversity.

“We come together and unite, and we’ve always done that when put to the test,” Rust said. “It’s like when my brothers and I would beat up each other, I come from a family of four boys, but nobody else could come touch us and that’s how I feel about this country.”