In the days following September 11, 2001, the country united across demographic, cultural, social and economic barriers to memorialize those who had died in the terrorist attacks. Nearly ten years later, Wareham residents and visitors will be reminded of that spirit of common purpose with the illumination of a billboard on the Cranberry Highway depicting Marion artist Alexander Byron's painting "We Must Never Forget."

But it is not just the image in the painting, firefighters raising the American flag after the attacks, that reflects the spirit of common purpose. The billboard itself is the result of many individuals' uniting under a common mission to ensure that nobody forgets the World Trade Center Attacks.

According to Joanne Byron, sister of the artist, the original painting was done over a three-week period immediately following the terrorist attacks at the urging of her sister, Flo.

"She asked [my brother] 'what are you going to do about it?' and he painted for three-weeks nonstop," Byron said. They made the painting into a billboard that they erected on family-owned land along Cranberry Highway, and Joanne Byron is still amazed at the respect paid to the image.

"No one dared touch that oil painting," she said.

But a replica billboard (the original painting was moved to the State House in Boston in 2002) soon became damaged by weather. At one point, the replica was blown over, and students from Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, firefighters, police and local business leaders came together to restore the painting and billboard.

"I've known the Byron family for years, and we all came together as a community," said Jeff Luce, community relations and economic development specialist from NSTAR Electric who coordinated the restoration effort. "I got some old utility poles from the Town of Wareham, 'coerced' Upper Cape Tech to build a billboard out of plywood, coerced Home Depot and Lowes to provide materials and help," Luce said jokingly.

The group completed the project and rededicated the billboard in September 2008. But something was missing.

"After we got it up there, we realized we should have it lit up," said Luce.

So another effort was begun. Luce decided that the project should align with the Commonwealth's renewable-energy goals. He used his connections at NSTAR to obtain all the necessary permits, and recruit electrical engineers to design and build a lighting system and electric-equipment providers to donate their time and supplies.

Roger Gaydou, operations manager of Solar Installation Limited in Brockton, devised a solar-powered lighting system that produces nearly 100 percent of the energy-efficient LED lights' power needs. Electrical parts were donated by Paul Michaud, sales manager at Munro Distributing Co.

"We all did it as a donation," said Gaydou, "the volunteer hours, equipment, parts, we didn't charge a penny to anyone."

"It's something that I felt very strongly about," said Luce. "It's an event we should never forget, and you see [the billboard] at night, and it's just amazing."