How George Washington's Bible Survived 9/11

On this episode of Our American Stories, when George Washington took the oath of office in 1789, his hand rested on a Bible that would become one of America’s most treasured artifacts. That same Bible was on loan to Fraunces Tavern, a Revolutionary War landmark near the World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001. After the towers fell, the search for survivors gave way to the search for the dead and eventually to a search for the missing Bible. Robert J. Morgan, author of 100 Bible Verses That Made America, tells the remarkable story of how Washington’s inaugural Bible was recovered after 9/11.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib and this is Our American Stories.
To search for the Our American Stories podcast, go to
the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. If
you want to know about the history of this country,
it is imperative that you know the role that the
Bible played in shaping it. Our founding fathers, both Christian

(00:30):
and non Christian alike, were heavily influenced by the Bible.
Here to share another story is Robert Morgan, who's the
author of one hundred Bible verses that made America, defining
moments that shaped our enduring foundation of faith. Take it away, Robert.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Two or three years ago, when I was in New
York City, I spent a day in Lower Manhattan and
the area around Wall Street. Within just a few blocks,
watched out some of America's greatest historical sites. The Brooklyn
Bridge now spans the East River at a spot very
close to where George Washington's Revolutionary army escaped disaster during

(01:13):
a remarkable nighttime evacuation. Nearby is France's tavern, where Washington
later met with his generals after the war. Five minutes later,
I was gazing at the Statue of Liberty nearby is
Fulton Street, the origin of a powerful eighteen fifty seven
religious revival that spread over the United States. And at

(01:36):
the end of Fulton Street is the nine to eleven
Memorial Museum. So much history within just a few blocks.
And don't forget the nearby Federal Building, the site of
America's first presidential inauguration. The old Federal building that Washington
knew no longer stands, but the newer Federal building that

(01:58):
now stands on the spot contains a small museum. And
there I saw Washington's inaugural Bible. I thought of the
springtime day in seventeen eighty nine when Washington placed his
hand on the Bible, took the oath of office, and
then bent over and reverently kissed the Bible in full
view of the great assembled crowd. That Bible has been preserved,

(02:22):
and four other presidents have borrowed it for their own inaugurations,
Warren Harding, Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, and George H. W. Bush.
W Bush wanted to use Washington's Bible, but his inauguration
was threatened by rain, and no one wanted to risk
damaging its hallowed pages. Only once has Washington's Bible faced

(02:46):
the prospect of destruction. On September eleventh, two thousand and one,
it was on loan to the aforementioned France's Tavern Museum
in Lower Manhattan when terrorists destroyed the nearby twin Towers
of the World Trade Center. For two days, no one
knew if Washington's Bible had escaped ruin. The area was

(03:08):
sealed off as rescue workers searched for survivors. Finally, on
September thirteen, police officers and an unmarked cruiser entered the
area accompanying the custodians of the Bible. The air was
still thick with dust and smoke. In the tavern was
strewn with rubble, but the building itself seemed unharmed. Inside,

(03:31):
untouched and unscathed, was Washington's inaugural Bible. The Bible, after all,
in its essential nature, is an indestructible book. For millennia,
its critics have tried to ban it, burn it, and
bar it from those who want it or need it. Still,
the Bible endures is the central book of human literature,

(03:53):
as the centerpiece of spiritual life, and as the compelling
document that shaped the United States of a Mayora. George
Washington came from a family of devout Christians. His father
was active in the Anglican Church, and his mother, Mary
Bell Washington, was godly and strongwilled, and she was an

(04:14):
enthusiastic teacher of scripture to her son. Washington's wife, Martha,
was a devout believer in Christ. And furthermore, Washington brought
up his children, who were actually his stepchildren, on explicitly
Christian textbooks, on prayer books and Bibles with their names
gilded upon them. Washington's stepson, George Washington Park Curtis, who

(04:39):
was known as Wash and raised at Mount Vernon, said
on Sundays, unless the weather was uncommonly severe, the President
and Missus Washington attended divine services at Christ Church, and
in the evenings the President read to Missus Washington in
her chamber a sermon or some portion from the sacred writings.

(05:02):
Washington also used a variety of terms of reverence and
respect to describe Jesus Christ and the ornate language of
the day. He called Jesus the divine author of our
blessed religion, our gracious Redeemer, the Great Lord and Ruler
of the nations. The judge of the hearts of men

(05:23):
and the giver of life. A later, President Calvin Coolidge said,
the foundation of our society and our government rests so
much on the teachings of the Bible that it would
be difficult to support them. If faith, then these teachings
would cease to be practically universal in our country. Vice

(05:44):
President Theodore Roosevelt said something very similar as he addressed
the Long Island Bible Society just weeks before being thrust
into the presidency. Roosevelt said, a large number of people
tend to forget the teachings of the Bible are so
interwoven and entwined with our whole civic and social life

(06:07):
that it would be literally, I do not mean figuratively,
I mean literally impossible for us to figure out to
ourselves what that life would be like if these teachings
were removed. President Franklin Roosevelt said, we cannot read the
history of our rise and development as a nation without

(06:30):
reckoning with the place the Bible has occupied in shaping
the advances of the Republic. The best way to keep
America strong is to know her history, to honor her roots,
to preserve her legacy, and to cherish the eternal God,
who in his providence placed this continent between two shimmering seas,

(06:54):
and who in his goodness provided a book that became
her moral and intellect. Chewall Foundation.

Speaker 1 (07:02):
And a terrific job on the production, editing and storytelling
by our own Greg Hengler, And a special thanks to
Robert Morgan, who's the author of one hundred Bible Verses
that Made America and the story of Washington's Bible. I
did not know that it was missing in action, but
to be discovered and of all places Francis Tavern is
just remarkable. The story of the Bible and its role

(07:24):
in American history. Here on our American Stories, Lee h. Habib Here,
as we approach our nation's two hundred and fiftieth anniversary,
I'd like to remind you that all the history stories
you hear on this show are brought to you by
the great folks at Hillsdale College. And Hillsdale isn't just
a great school for your kids or grandkids to attend,
but for you as well. Go to Hillsdale dot edu

(07:47):
to find out about their terrific free online courses. Their
series on Communism is one of the finest I've ever seen.
Again go to Hillsdale dot edu and sign up for
their free and terrific online courses.