Never forget: Notable, year-round New Jersey 9/11 memorials
There are more than 150 memorials in New Jersey dedicated to remembering the lives lost in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The sites range from gardens to parks and plaques to statues.
The “Empty Sky” memorial at Liberty State Park in Jersey City is the state’s official memorial, honoring all New Jersey residents that lost their lives at the World Trade Center.
Among the others:
Middletown WTC Memorial Gardens (Monmouth County)
36 Church St., Middletown
A landscaped walking path features memorials for each of the 37 victims from this township.
Union County September 11th Memorial (Union County)
In Echo Lake Park. GPS address: 143 Mill Lane, Mountainside
The memorial features two girders from the World Trade Center arranged within a five-sided area representing the Pentagon and an Eternal Flame representing those who died in Pennsylvania. The Flame also honors members of the Armed Services and emergency responders. The names of 60 deceased Union County residents are etched into the memorial.
Prospect Avenue and Eagle Rock Avenue, West Orange
With an overlook view of Manhattan, TripAdvisor reviews call it “stunning” and “great for a hike and reflection of 9/11."
Empty Sky (Hudson County)
1 Audrey Zapp Drive, Jersey City
The brushed stainless steel twin walls are 30 feet tall and 210 feet long, the width of each side of the World Trade Center Towers. They stand parallel to each other with a 12-foot wide paved path of bluestone between them.
According to visitnj.org, 9/11 attack victims' "names are placed randomly on the twin brushed stainless steel walls. Individuals' names (4 inches tall) are within reach and engraved deep enough for hand rubbing." The memorial, designed by Jessica Jamroz and Frederic Schwartz, was dedicated on September 11, 2011.
World Trade Center Memorial Cove (Bergen County)
Richard W. DeKorte Park, 1 DeKorte Park
The memorial is a wooden deck with two wooden piers in the Hackensack River marsh. Each pier consists of 110 boards representing each of the World Trade Center's 110 floors. The pier looks out toward Manhattan. A steel silhouette shows the New York skyline with the towers intact.
Mercer County Park Memorial
Clarksville Road and Route 571, West Windsor
Made with steel beam and cables from the World Trade Center wreckage.
9/11 Memorial Tree at Basking Ridge Train Station (Somerset County)
Ridge Street & Depot Place, Bernards Township
A tree is planted on the grounds outside the Basking Ridge train station, as a living memorial to the Basking Ridge community members who perished in the attacks. At the base of the tree is a commemorative plaque mounted on a stone.
Teardrop Memorial
51 Port Terminal Blvd, Bayonne
A gift from Russia, this bronze memorial is 100 feet tall with a 40-foot steel teardrop. It was created by Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli.
9/11 Memorial at Shrine of St. Joseph
1050 Long Hill Road, Stirling
A bell tolls every 46 minutes four times, once for each of the attacks on the North and South towers, the Pentagon and United Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania.
Allendale 9/11 memorial
380 West Crescent Ave., Allendale
A bronze American flag and eagle adorn a 5-foot granite marker honoring the victims, including a town resident.
460 Ocean Boulevard, Atlantic Highlands
Monmouth County’s 9/11 memorial includes three parts: A walkway through a timeline of the day’s events, a stone base carved with the names of 147 county residents who died in the attacks, and a sculpture of an eagle with a steel beam from one of the fallen World Trade Center towers.
Leonardo State Marina, Middletown
A black marble monument situated between two American flag poles features engravings of the twin towers, the Statue of Liberty and a bald eagle. A second monument has the names of all 39 Middletown residents who died in the attack and a plaque honoring the Rev Mychal F. Judge, chaplain to the Fire Department of New York, who died in the attacks.
Location: Main & Bridge Streets, Somerville
The memorial at the county courthouse includes a clock tower inscribed with the phrase “Time to Remember” and a plaque with the names of 39 county residents who died in the attacks.
East Brunswick 9/11 Memorial
Location: 1 Civic Center Drive, East Brunswick 08816
The monument outside East Brunswick municipal court includes a small replica of the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the names of eight residents who died in the attacks.
There also is an official state registry of 9/11 memorials.
This post was first published in 2019 and has been expanded further in 2020.
MUST SEE: The 9/11 Tribute in Light over the years
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