2002:

The bicentennial celebration takes place at West Point.

The Historic Landscape Management Plan for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York ERDC/CERL SR-02-1, is produced in February and identifies significant infrastructure repair needs in Kosciuszko’s Garden.

Kosciuszko’s Garden continues to have periods of significant overgrowth and infrastructure erosion.

2004:

Kosciusko’s Garden Improvements Plan / Faculty Advisor Colonel Ronald Welch, C&ME Civil Engineering, Course: CE489 is completed. Colonel Welch and his students perform a comprehensive analysis of the engineering challenges inherent in the restoration of the infrastructure of Kosciuszko’s Garden.

2010:

The Department of Public Works at West Point identifies the costs of restoration of Kosciuszko’s garden at $175,000. This includes re-opening the historic connection to Flirtation Walk. A proposal is submitted to the Superintendent and Garrison Commander. Federal funds are unavailable. Private sector funds are sought.

The fountain is repaired.

October 15: Cadets and other dignitaries gather in Kosciuszko’s Garden to pay tribute to him on the 193rd anniversary of his death. Cadets  replace the circle of rocks he constructed in the Garden in 1778.

Kosciuszko’s Garden - continuously existing for 237years.

2011:

April 28: Every spring, the Association for the Friends of Kosciuszko at West Point, holds a memorial and conference at West Point to honor Kosciuszko. After the parade of cadets on the Plain, dignitaries from the Polish and Lithuanian embassies gathered at the memorial in remembrance of Kosciuszko.This was preceded by a full day conference on Kosciuszko and Polish and Lithuanian diplomacy held the day before at the West Point Club.

On Tuesday, September 26th, Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, visited West Point and Kosciuszko’s Monument and Kosciuszko’s Garden. The President is seen on the right in this photo on the terrace at Cullum Hall warmly greeting General (ret.) Ed Rowny, Distinguished Graduate of West Point and founder of the Rowny Fund for the Preservation of Kosciuszko’s Garden at West Point. President Komorowski saw the Garden after giving an address at Kosciuszko’s Monument where he emphasized the importance of the long-standing military alliance between the United States and Poland. LTG Rowny, seen on the left in this photo, was a chief negotiator in the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) under five presidents including Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and George H.W. Bush. SALT negotiations focused on the limitation of arms with the Soviet Union, a topic of continuing importance to countries in Europe. General Rowny, Class of ’41, continues active lobbying efforts for Polish American relations and is highly esteemed in both America and Poland for his significant global efforts for peace.

2012:

Betsey Blakeslee, Ph.D., receives the Gold Cross of Merit from the Republic of Poland for her work in restoring Kosciuszko’s Garden at West Point. The award was presented to her by President Komorowski at the Polish Consulate in New York City in September.

2012:

2013:

Friends of the American Revolution at West Point, Inc., is approved by the state of New York and West Point officials to accomplish the following mission:

To preserve, protect and publicize known and to be discovered historic sites and remains at the West Point Garrison from 1775-1783

for the benefit of current, past and future cadets,

for the public and for posterity.

The majority of the Revolutionary sites are fortifications designed and built under Chief Engineer Thaddeus Kosciuszko.

far@farwp.us