St. Paul’s Chapel in NYC survives 9/11 Attacks

From: Rob M.

Sent: June 25, 2012

To: undisclosed recipients

Subject: Fw: St. Paul’s Chapel in NYC survives 9/11 Attacks

I went to New York City and visited ground zero. While there I learned about how St. Paul’s Chapel actually survived the 9/11 attacks. Thought it was neat enough to share with others. Rob.
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St. Paul’s Chapel is the oldest surviving church in Manhattan. It was the church where George Washington and members of Congress prayed on his Inauguration Day as president. It currently is the home of several monuments including George Washington’s pew, and sculptures of other early American heroes.

This resilient building survived the Great New York City Fire of 1776, when the British captured NYC during the American Revolutionary War. Roughly ¼ of the structures in Manhattan burned down in that fire. The Chapel survived another memorable disaster during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, which was right across the street.
Miraculously, debris from the falling towers missed hitting the church, thanks to a fortuitously-located sycamore tree in the church courtyard. The church’s organ was ruined from the dirt and smoke, but the church incurred no other damage from the attacks. After the attacks, volunteers kept the church open for firefighters and recovery workers to rest and receive food, counseling, and therapy. Source