Curator for Flight 93 mementos is running out of space

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. -- From buttons to painted rocks and uniforms, officials have vowed to preserve every tribute and memento left to honor the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93.

But with more than 10,000 items collected so far, the Somerset County Historical and Genealogical Society is running out of space.

"There's really no other room here on site," said curator Barbara Black. Officials will begin looking for a new space within a month.

People have come from around the country to leave trinkets and memorabilia in the remote field, 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, where the hijacked plane crashed on Sept. 11, 2001.

Passengers are believed to have overwhelmed the terrorists on Flight 93, perhaps averting another attack on Washington D.C. The crash killed all 44 people aboard.

Somerset County officials plan to eventually incorporate all the items into a national memorial that will be administered by the National Park Service.