Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook and Monmouth County 9/11 Memorial

According to the Monmouth County Park System, "this overlook in Atlantic Highlands sits on the highest natural elevation on the Atlantic seaboard (excluding islands) from Maine to the Yucatan providing beautiful views of Sandy Hook, Sandy Hook Bay, Raritan Bay and the New York skyline. This 12-acre site is also home to Monmouth County's 9/11 Memorial...The Memorial is a tribute to 147 men and women who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001-- men and women born, raised, or residing at the time in Monmouth County."

The memorial was conceptualized in 2002 when the Monmouth County 9/11 Committee formed. Although planning started in 2002, construction didn’t finish until July of 2005.

When approaching the memorial, take notice of the seven total birch trees as well as the large grass field. These were intended to represent the four airplanes that were hijacked, the three buildings attacked, and the field in Shanksville, PA where the fourth plane landed. The timeline walkway represents a three hour span of the incidents from September 11, 2001. Along the walkway, viewers stumble upon different times stamped into the pavement. These stamps symbolize all the important times of the day ranging from flight departures to towers collapses and all the other important sequences which occurred that morning.

Once approaching the center of the memorial, a great bald eagle welcomes visitors as a symbol of freedom and courage through the losses that September of 2001 inflicted on the United States, more specifically, Monmouth County. Around the base of the sculpture reads the names of all 147 Monmouth County victims and their age, and in the feet of the eagle is actually a piece of steel from one of the towers. Towards the end of the path is an opening looking to the exact location of where the Twin Towers once stood. Now, visitors can observe the bright New York skyline and the beautiful new Freedom Tower instead.

"Mount Mitchill ScenicOverlook," https://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/page.aspx?Id=2534

"Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook," monmouthcountyparks.com/documents/130/Mt%20Mitchill.pdf

Muriel J. Smith, "Mount Mitchill - Fascinating History and Geology," http://www.ahherald.com/columns-list/history-and-happenings/22991-mount-mitchill-fascinating-history-and-geology