Sept. 11, 2021
This morning, Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. is once again honoring those who lost their lives on 9/11 with a program called "Essex County Remembers."
The solemn ceremony is held annually at the Essex County Eagle Rock September 11th Memorial; this year marks the 20th anniversary of the tragedies in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania. The memorial is located at:
- Essex County Eagle Rock Reservation, Eagle Rock Avenue, West Orange, NJ
- The ceremony is available online here.
“After the attacks, people spontaneously came to Eagle Rock Reservation to view the tragedy unfold at the Twin Towers and leave cards, letters, photos and flowers in an impromptu memorial in honor of their loved ones. I knew immediately that this was the natural location for a memorial because of the public attraction to this site and the unparalleled view of the World Trade Center from the lookout area. Our September 11th Memorial is a special place for people to come for solace and comfort because of its unique location and its powerful message of peace and hope." ~ Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.
Program
- Elected officials and clergy members will join families who lost a loved one in the tragedies
- Memorial wreaths will be laid at the monument and a new American flag will be raised
- Until 2pm, a string quartet will perform reverent selections of music
Eagle Rock September 11th Memorial
Dedicated in October, 2002, the Essex County Eagle Rock September 11th Memorial was created to "pay tribute to the men and women, police officers, firefighters and other first responders who lost their lives at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, in Pennsylvania and aboard the four airplanes that crashed that day."
- Until the World Trade Center Memorial was dedicated in 2011, Eagle Rock Memorial was the only 9/11 memorial to list all 3,000 victims’ names
- In 2009, the Memorial was expanded to include a monument honoring the 33 flight crew members aboard the four airplanes that crashed. In 2011, a 7,400-pound steel and concrete artifact from the World Trade Center foundation was installed at the site and a bronze plaque was dedicated to honor emergency medical technicians who responded to Ground Zero and those who provided aid to people returning from New York across the Hudson River.
- In 2016, the Essex County Search and Rescue Dog Statue was dedicated at the site to commemorate the role that dogs had in the search and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center and Pentagon after the 9/11 attacks.
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