Shanksville

Shanksville is a small community in southwestern Pennsylvania, surrounded by forested hills and open farmland. The settlement sits quietly in a rural area with a handful of streets, modest homes, and wooded ridges on the horizon.

Christian Shank, a German immigrant, founded the settlement in the late 18th century and built a grist mill beside a local stream. Over the following decades other mills and workshops appeared, and the village was formally laid out in 1829.

The Flight 93 National Memorial extends across 2,200 acres, featuring a visitor center, walking paths, and a wall inscribed with names of the forty passengers and crew.

The community lies off main highways and is reached by quiet country roads that wind through hilly terrain. Visitors should expect changeable mountain weather, especially in autumn and winter, when temperatures can shift quickly.

The local volunteer fire brigade was among the first to reach a crash site in September 2001 and later received a steel beam from the World Trade Center in recognition. That beam now stands in a memorial corner of the fire station and is illuminated each year during a quiet ceremony.

Location: Somerset County

Inception: 1798

Elevation above the sea: 680 m

GPS coordinates: 40.01722,-78.90583

Latest update: December 13, 2025 15:39