Monument Celebrates Unshakable American Foundation

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Monument Celebrates Unshakable American Foundation

by Jeff Kirby

Photo showing monument with quote from President Bush that was erected on the lawn of the Indiana state capitol building. The quote contains the following: "Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America."
Photo by John Day

A monument bearing the words of President George Bush, "Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America" was erected on the Statehouse lawn in Indianapolis on September 11. It was dedicated by Governor Frank O'Bannon during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Soon after the attack on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., work began to rebuild the damaged portion of the massive structure, which was constructed in the early 1940s with a facing of Indiana Limestone. Bybee Stone Company in Ellettsville, Indiana was contracted to provide all the replacement limestone for the project. Bybee doesn't quarry the stone it mills into finished slabs and decorative carved pieces, so Independent Limestone Company of Bloomington, Indiana was contracted to provide the raw material.

Work began in October, and in December, Bybee decided to create a special slab that would bear the Bush quote and be signed by everyone who had worked on the project. According to Jeff Leisz of Bybee Stone, the slab was to be placed on the Pentagon with the carved and signed side not visible; but when it arrived in Washington it was instead put on display and has since been signed by many others, including construction workers and New York City police officers and firemen.

The monument for the Statehouse lawn is a duplicate of the slab that was sent to the Pentagon, with the addition of a carved base. The raw stone was donated by Independent Stone, and the mill work was donated by Bybee Stone.

To learn more about the roles played by Bybee and Independent in the Pentagon project, read the Washington Post article Indiana Plant Makes Its Mark on History.

For more information about the monument dedication ceremony on the Statehouse lawn, read 1,500 gather to honor victims with Indiana ties and Indiana to Mark September 11th Anniversary with Ceremony at Statehouse.