September 11th Garden Braemar Stone in New York, New York

Following the tragic September 11, 2001, attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center in Manhattan, a series of memorials were created around the New York City area to remember the people who died in the attack. The Queen Elizabeth II September 11th Garden, which memorializes the deceased British and Commonwealth citizens from that event, is located relatively close to the World Trade Center site itself. This park contains a lot of subtle symbolism, but the most notable and outstanding feature within the park is the Braemar Stone. Braemar stones in general have their origin in ancient Celtic games. Competitors would throw these rounded stones, which may weigh between 19 and 28 pounds (8.6 – 12.7 kg), like a modern shot put. While the Braemar Stone in the Queen Elizabeth II September 11th Garden looks superficially similar to one of these stones, it was never used in any competition. Instead, the stone was taken from a part of the River Dee near Balmoral, the British royal residence in Scotland, and brought to Manhattan to be placed within the park. The stone now sits on a small plinth marked “New York to Aberdeen” with the distance between the sites marked below the inscription (but partly obscured by the ground), symbolizing the British royal family’s personal connection to this small September 11th memorial.