115-year-old pipe organ, “Big Bertha,” returns to Mother Emanuel after restoration

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A beloved 115-year-old pipe organ known as “Big Bertha” has returned to Emanuel AME Church following a 16-month restoration project.

The historic church in downtown Charleston has been undergoing renovations for the past year, and as part of that, the organ was removed by crews from Cornel Zimmer Organ Builders in February 2022 so that it could be cleaned, its pipes straightened and returned to the church.

“This not only marks the beginning of our church restoration and renovation project, but it also marks the beginning to show some love to Big Bertha. So, this is a Big Bertha’s re-do and so we’re going to do our level best to show much love and integrity to this pipe organ and we know that once it comes back in, it’s going to sound phenomenal,” said Rev. Eric Manning in a Facebook video while the organ’s pipes were being removed months ago.

“Big Bertha” was returned to the church on June 5, 2023.

The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, often called Mother Emanuel, was founded in 1817. It is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church in the southern United States.

The church is also the site of the June 17, 2015, shooting that claimed the lives of nine people during a Bible study and left five survivors.