The first thing visitors encounter at the Garden of Reflection is the mangled steel.
For anyone who saw photos of Ground Zero in the days and months following September 11, 2001, its appearance is unmistakable—a tiny remnant of the destroyed World Trade Center. But what is remarkable about the memorial is that, while it starts with a jarring reminder of the day’s tragedy, the tone quickly shifts to solemn and then to hopeful. It’s all in keeping with the memorial’s theme—“After Darkness…Light.”
Set on farmland in Yardley in Bucks County, the Garden of Reflection is Pennsylvania’s official 9/11 Memorial. It was built in honor of the 18 Bucks County residents who died in the terrorist attacks and pays tribute to all the 2,973 lives lost that day in Lower Manhattan, at the Pentagon, and on the hijacked airplanes.
We found visiting the Memorial to be extremely moving. Walking through the grounds and reading the tributes is an opportunity to think about the lives of the people who died and those they left behind as well as to consider the positive feelings the designers want to inspire in visitors, which can be very difficult with such a sad focus.
Tributes to the victims
The creation of the Garden of Reflection 9-11 Memorial was spearheaded by local families whose loved ones were killed on September 11. They included people who worked on the upper floors of the towers—including at the firm Cantor Fitzgerald which lost over 600 employees—as well as a passenger on Flight 93. Victor Saracini of Yardley, the pilot of Flight 175, and Lorraine Bay of Langhorne, a flight attendant on Flight 93, also died.
The stories of the Bucks County residents, as published in the New York Times, are written on displays around the Memorial. From time to time visitors also leave personal notes and mementos, especially coinciding with the anniversary of the attacks and other meaningful days. As we visited on a recent anniversary, we found lots of American flags, flowers, and personal remembrances from family members and friends.
Remembrance ceremonies
Every year, a remembrance ceremony takes place on September 11 at 8:30am. Every fifth year, there is an additional night ceremony–the next one will occur in 2026. In addition, runners can participate in a 5K or 1-mile run/walk to raise money for the endowment to preserve the garden and memorial. This year’s run will be held September 15, 2024, at 9:00am.
Design of the garden
Walking through the Memorial, the architecture takes visitors on a journey starting with tragedy, passing through grief, and moving towards hope and peace. The shift is clear through the materials used in the different parts of the giant spiral that makes up the garden.
Just passed the fragment of the World Trade Center at the entrance, there is clear change moving away from disaster to symbols of life and strength that help keep the space from being too dark. Visitors will find 58 redbud trees representing the Pennsylvania residents who died and 18 maple trees representing those from Bucks County. Beyond that, 42 luminaries honor the children from Pennsylvania who lost a parent.
A short walk from there, a memorial plaque marks the path to the Wall of Remembrance. Here, the names of everyone who died on September 11 are etched in glass. There are benches with special dedications throughout the area where you can pause.
The core of the Memorial features a plaque with the names of the Bucks County residents who died and nine red maples in honor those who were from Lower Makefield township. At the center, twin fountains represent the Twin Towers as symbols of renewal and healing. When they’re lit up at night, they remind us of the Tribute in Light—the blue towers of light that ascend into the sky in Lower Manhattan every year around the anniversary.
Although we have lived in Pennsylvania for 20 years, we lived in Manhattan on September 11, 2001, and have lots of our own stories and memories from that day and those that followed. The terror and chaos of what had been a beautiful Tuesday morning are clear memories for us as is the deep sadness followed by a sense of hope and togetherness as we all tried to make sense of what had happened.
Somehow, the Memorial does a perfect job capturing the dichotomy of how we felt as New Yorker residents during that unbelievable time. Walking the grounds, we were moved by the tributes to the victims and buoyed by the sense of hope and lightness literally and figuratively embodied in the fountains.
After darkness…light
The Garden of Reflection spans 2.5 acres and is surrounded by a 2-acre Oak Garden Arboretum set within the much larger Memorial Park. As a result, there is plenty of room to reflect and enjoy the space—in fact, that what it’s intended for.
Many families who lost loved ones do not have remains or a grave site where they can grieve, reflect, or feel close to their family members. The Garden of Reflection provides that space in a beautiful, peaceful setting.
In addition to the Memorial, the overall park is designed to be a vibrant, joy-filled space. When we visited, it was full of people walking their dogs, exercising, and having fun. There is a unique playground for children of different abilities and those with sensory issues, plus a basketball court, volleyball nets, and sports fields. In season, a community garden fills with flowers, herbs, and vegetables tended by locals. The whole thing is meant to be full of life and life-affirming.