A small Pennsylvania borough became the site of a pivotal act of defiance

Cultures · Published 10 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Shanksville, a quiet borough of fewer than 200 people, gained global significance on September 11, 2001. When United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in adjacent Stonycreek Township, the actions of its passengers and crew prevented the hijackers from reaching their intended target, marking the only hijacked plane that day to fail.

Before the events of 2001, Shanksville was a modest settlement in Somerset County, established in 1829 by German immigrant Christian Shank. Incorporated as a borough in 1913, the town sits at a high elevation of 2,230 feet. Its history is tied to local industry, including grist and saw mills, and it was once the home of John Suhre, a Union soldier whose final days were documented in Louisa May Alcott’s Hospital Sketches.

On September 11, 2001, the town became the site of a national tragedy when Flight 93 crashed 1.75 miles north of the borough. Passengers and crew, having learned of other attacks via airphone, revolted against the al-Qaeda hijackers, forcing the plane down before it could strike a government building in Washington, D.C. All 40 civilians and four hijackers on board were killed. In the aftermath, local emergency personnel from Shanksville and nearby towns rushed to the scene to search for survivors.

Today, the area hosts the Flight 93 National Memorial, which encompasses the crash site and the protected Sacred Ground. The memorial was developed in phases, with a permanent visitors' center completed by the 10th anniversary in 2011. A unique tribute stands outside the local firehouse: a cross-shaped steel remnant from the World Trade Center, donated by the New York City Fire Department and mounted on a Pentagon-shaped base, dedicated in 2008.

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