Garden honors those lost on 9-11

New London, Conn. (WTNH) - It's been nearly a decade since the attacks on September 11th and family members of those who lost loved one continue to work to keep their memories alive.

The memorial garden at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London is the creation and passion of Paula Clifford-Scott.

"Oh it is so special, it's just wonderful to be up there, there's an atmosphere here of peace and tranquility," Clifford-Scott said.

Clifford-Scott lost both her daughter, Ruth McCourt, and her granddaughter, Juliana McCourt, in the 9-11 attacks. They were on United Airlines flight 175, which crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The next day a pile of golden thread was found in her bed. Significant because it's something she and her grand daughter Juliana shared.

"The thread fairy was something that as I said was going along with my granddaughter and myself," Clifford-Scott said. "She'd find a thread and I would tell her that the fairies were dancing in her bedroom at night and she'd get very excited."

The thread fairy is featured on a trellis, the centerpiece of the memorial garden made possible by volunteers and donations.

The six acre site known as the McCourt Memorial Garden started out as a memorial to Clifford-Scott's daughter and granddaughter but it has come to be a place to remember all eleven victims of the 9-11 attacks who were from southeastern Connecticut. They are represented by the bulbs in the center of the trellis.

"So everybody is remembered here really. It's a garden of remembrance," Clifford-Scott said.

And the memorial continues to evolve. Next organizers hope to get a piece of the World Trade Center where they'll be able to place a plaque which will list the names of the victims.