Recent Accomplishments

2021

In 2021, we were able to finish “Phase 1” of the Rose Garden – just in time for the 20th anniversary of 9/11. It was a very special “unveiling,” with many hundreds of visitors and universal acclaim for the quiet beauty of the garden and its function as a “living memorial” to the heroes of Flight 93. This is what the Rose Garden looked like in June 2021:

We made tremendous progress in the 4 short months leading up to 9/11, and at the end of Phase 1 there were four main features to the Rose Garden:

• The Compass Rose (with its points oriented north, south, east, and west – visible from 30,000 feet – and large rocks engraved with the names of each of the Heroes of Flight 93)
• The Cross (the first memorial erected at the crash site, and since moved to the Rose Garden)
• Ryan’s Trail (named for Ryan Cenk, whose Eagle Scout project placed benches around the ½-mile perimeter of the Rose Garden property)
• The Families’ Rock (acknowledging the donation of the property by the Families of Flight 93)

2022

In 2022, we commenced “Phase 2” of the development of the Rose Garden. In addition to maintaining all that we accomplished in 2021, we made numerous enhancements and additions, including:

• The creation of a larger, more accessible parking area
• Improvements to Ryan’s Trail to better accommodate foot traffic, wheelchairs, and handicapped-driven vehicles
• The planting of nearly 2 acres of wildflowers in the field behind the Compass Rose
• Creating a path to the Compass Rose
• The planting of 200 more perennials and 1,200 daffodils
• 2022 Year-End Report: https://online.fliphtml5.com/fdmmf/mhrj/#p=1

2023

In 2023, we made numerous enhancements and additions to the Rose Garden, including:

• New, more visible signs in front of the Rose Garden and across from the exit from the Flight 93 National Memorial
• Improvements to path to the “compass rose” and to Ryan’s Trail to increase accessibility for visitors of all types of abilities
• An expansion to the irrigation system to water roses and perennials in both the new and existing compass points
• Three new compass points – each 40 feet in length
• The addition of more than a dozen new rose species and hundreds more perennials in the new compass points
• The planting of 51 flowering trees (generously donated by Certified)