Lancaster’s 9/11 Memorial Garden Continues to Bloom 25 Years Later

Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a small garden at the intersection of U.S. routes 2 and 3 continues to bloom as a living memorial to those who died.

Annetta McGinnis came up with the idea for the garden soon after the attacks. She wanted to give people in Lancaster a way to respond to the tragedy by doing something positive together.

“I thought it would be a good idea to have the whole town of Lancaster participate in making a memorial garden,” McGinnis said.

The garden was created in a roughly 30-foot triangular area in the middle of Soldiers’ Park.

McGinnis opened a bank account in the name of 9/11 and placed notices in the newspaper asking residents to contribute whatever they could.