The Billy Graham Archive and Research Center’s (BGARC) purpose is far greater than answering questions. The collection contains special objects with deep meanings of faith and providential provenance. One such object is a Mason & Hamlin reed organ once belonging to Ira D. Sankey. The organ was gifted to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) Team by Carrubbers Close Mission around the time of the Greater London Billy Graham Crusade in 1954.

Ira D. Sankey was the song-leader of the famous evangelist, Dwight L. Moody. Billy Graham had a great affection for Moody due to the influence Moody had on his life and ministry. Both men answered the call of God to go and preach the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. Each was a brilliant innovator and skilled orator. The daughter-in-law of Moody once gifted Billy Graham sheets of sermon notes and wrote to his wife Ruth Bell Graham, “I am sending this to you for your husband to have & keep, because he is the only one whose message has reminded me of my father-in-law Mr. D. L. Moody.”[iv]

Sankey, with his strong baritone voice, served in the same capacity with Moody as longtime music director Cliff Barrows did with Billy Graham. Sankey would lead songs while seated at the organ bench, all without amplification.

Moody and Sankey took this very Mason & Hamlin reed organ on their evangelistic campaigns all across England in the 1870s. In 1883, they donated it to the Carrubbers Close Mission in Edinburgh, Scotland, along with £10,000 to build a permanent location.[v]

Sankey also composed the music to the great hymn, “The Ninety and Nine,” on this special organ. In the World Wide Pictures film Then Sings My Soul (1968), Billy Graham’s soloist, George Beverly Shea, wrote the origination story that he learned while visiting Carrubbers Close Mission in 1954.

The story goes that while traveling on the train with Moody to Edinburgh, Sankey came across the poem “The Ninety and Nine” by Elizabeth C. Clephane in a newspaper. Sankey tore the poem out of the paper and put it in his pocket.

Later, Moody preached a message on The Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18). After his moving sermon, he turned to Sankey seated at the Mason & Hamlin reed organ and said, “Have you got something appropriate to finish the service with?”[vi]

Sankey pulled the poem out of his pocket, placed it on the organ, and wrote the hymn on the spot. It was the first time “The Ninety and Nine” was ever played. Shea described the reaction in his book: “The audience was touched and seemed to move en masse to the edge of their chairs. Sankey moved to the edge of his chair, too. But his reason was suspense. He had sung the first verse, but he wasn’t sure he could remember the music well enough to do the second. But he began – haltingly at first, then more confidently. He made it through all five verses, and a new hymn was born.”[vii]

Interestingly, in 1955, Shea and the BGEA recorded, produced, and distributed a 78 RPM flexible picture disc to share the providential story and commemorate the acquisition of the organ. This small record was mailed to prayer partners, donors, and other individuals requesting material.

The history of the Mason & Hamlin reed organ epitomizes the core biblical principle and mission of the BGEA––to proclaim the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ by every effective means available and by equipping the church and others to do the same—for God to reach that one lost sheep.

If you’re a student, leader, or researcher, we invite you to explore the resources provided at the Billy Graham Archive and Research Center. Browse our online collection guide and request an appointment to study at the Billy Graham Archive and Research Center today.

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[iv] Hand-written letter to Mrs. Graham from Mrs. W. R. Moody. June 11^th, unknown year. Object ID: 2014.750.1204.1.

[v] “History of Carrubbers – Project 140.” Carrubbers Christian Centre. Accessed 14 May 2025.  https://project140.carrubbers.org/history-of-carrubbers/.

[vi] Shea, George Beverly with Fred Bauer. Then Sings My Soul. Old Tappen, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company. 1968. Page 137.

[vii] Shea, George Beverly with Fred Bauer. Then Sings My Soul. Old Tappen, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company. 1968. Page 138.