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, shares the remarkable story of how Washington’s inaugural Bible was recovered after 9/11.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

(00:31):
and non-Christian alike, were heavily influenced by the Bible. by
the Bible. Here to share another story is Robert Morgan,
who's the author of 100 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 in
the area around Wall Street. Within just a few blocks,
I searched 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

(01:13):
during 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 1857
religious revival that spread over the United States. And at

(01:36):
the end of Fulton Street is the 9-11 Memorial and 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 now stands

(01:58):
on the spot contains a small museum. And there I
saw Washington's inaugural Bible. I thought of the springtime day
in 1789 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 and four other

(02:22):
presidents have borrowed it for their own inaugurations. Warren Harding,
Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush. George 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 the

(02:46):
prospect of destruction. On September 11th, 2001. It was on
loan to the aforementioned Francis 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 sealed off as

(03:09):
rescue workers searched for survivors. Finally, on September 13, police
officers in an unmarked cruiser entered the area and accompanying
the custodians of the Bible. The air was still thick
with dust and smoke, and the tavern was strewn with rubble,
but the building itself seemed unharmed. Inside, untouched and unscathed,

(03:33):
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 as the central book of human literature, as

(03:54):
the centerpiece of spiritual life, and as the compelling document
that shaped the United States of America. 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 strong-willed. and she was an enthusiastic teacher

(04:15):
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 was known as Wash,

(04:41):
and raised at Mount Vernon, said, On Sundays, unless the
weather was uncommonly severe, the President and Mrs. Washington attended
divine services at Christ Church, and in the evenings, the
President read to Mrs. Washington in her chamber a sermon
or some portion from the sacred writings. Washington also used

(05:03):
a variety of terms of reverence and respect to describe
Jesus Christ. In 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, and the giver

(05:24):
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 in these teachings would cease
to be practically universal in our country. Vice President Theodore

(05:45):
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
that the teachings of the Bible are so interwoven and
entwined with our whole civic and social life that it

(06:08):
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 reckoning with

(06:31):
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 intellectual 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 100 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 in of all places, Francis Tervin is just remarkable.

(07:23):
The story of the Bible and its role in American
history here on Our American Stories. This is Lee Habib,
and this is Our American Stories. And all of our
history stories are brought to us by our generous sponsors,
including Hillsdale College, where students go to learn all the

(07:44):
things that are beautiful in life and all the things
that matter in life. If you can't get to Hillsdale,
Hillsdale will come to you with their free and terrific
online courses. Go to hillsdale.edu. That's hillsdale.edu.