On September 11, 2001, an ancient Sycamore tree stood between the small Saint Paul's Chapel of 1766, and the World Trade Center. The brunt of the force released by the collapsing Twin Towers caused the 100-year-old tree to fall. The tree fell in such a way that its spreading branches created a shield which absorbed shockwaves from the seeming nuclear impact and preserved the historic 18th century Saint Paul's Chapel of Trinity Church and its ancient tombstones from falling debris, including a direct hit from an I-beam, and what should have been certain destruction.
"This stump is all that remains of a 100 -year-old Sycamore that once stood in the northwest corner of St. Paul's churchyard. The tree was toppled on September 11th, 2001, when the collapse of the World Trade Center sent tons of debris hurtling towards the church, including a large steel beam from the North Tower. Miraculously, the Chapel's trees shielded from dam and not a single pane of glass was broken through the church."
"In 2005, renowned sculptor Steve Tobin worked with tree experts to preserve the original Sycamore stump that you see here at St. Paul's." (From the Plaque Below the Stump)Isaiah 9:10 "The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars."
