JOHNS CREEK, GA — A more than century-old organ that survived the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City will be featured in a service of remembrance Friday night at Johns Creek United Methodist Church.
The organ came from historic Trinity Church on Wall Street, about three blocks from where the World Trade Center towers stood. It was nearly destroyed during the attacks, but parts of the instrument were in storage and could be salvaged.
Jenn Von Essen with Johns Creek United Methodist Church said Trinity Church learned that the Johns Creek congregation was searching for an organ and decided to donate it.
“Apparently the organ community is not that big, and so they heard that there was this church in Johns Creek Georgia that was looking for an organ, and they chose to donate it,” Von Essen said.
Original parts of the organ date back to 1923. About 95% of its 5,000 pipes were part of the organ at Trinity Church and had been in storage for more than 10 years.
Each piece had to be carefully cleaned as part of a $1.2 million restoration process before the organ was relocated to Johns Creek United Methodist Church.
Von Essen said the instrument has also formed a connection with one member of the congregation who survived the attacks.
“We have a woman who goes to church here who was in Tower One that day, and the fact that she ended up here in Johns Creek and popped into our church one day to check it out and found that the organ survived and exists here just like she does,” Von Essen said.
The organ has been dubbed “The Sound of Freedom,” and the congregation describes it as an instrument of peace.
“It does bring peace to the heart to listen to the organ knowing its history and what it survived,” Von Essen said.
The organ will be featured during a service of remembrance marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks at 7 p.m. Friday at Johns Creek United Methodist Church.
WSB Radio’s Ashley Simmons & Sabrina Cupit contributed to this story.