My next stop of touristic importance was Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland – you know – Francis Scott Key and the bombs bursting in air and all that.
I made my way there with the help of Google maps and the signs pointing the way to the port of Baltimore.
I passed through the gate and headed toward the visitor center. Since I had an America the Beautiful pass, I didn’t have to pay the entrance fee. I’d say it was free, but the pass cost $80. However, the pass is good for the rest of my life, as long as I don’t loose it.
I wandered about and looked at the various displays while I wait for my turn to watch the video presentation. The plaque on this reads:
Fired by the British Naval Forces
during the bombardment of this port
September 13-14, 1814
when by the light of “bombs bursting in air”
the national anthem – The Star Spangled Banner”
had its birth.
It was time for my group to enter. It was actually quite a good film, but what I remember most vividly was the end. They played The Star Spangled Banner and raised the curtain to show us Fort McHenry, with the flag waving in the breeze. This was during one of the semi-frequent arguments about showing respect for the flag. I noticed that no one stood, so I decided to lead the crowd. Eventually, all got to their feet. Was it out of respect or because the movie was over? I guess we’ll never know.
We had the opportunity to meet with a volunteer who would talk with us about the flags that are in use at Fort McHenry. For instance, larger flags are typically rolled and stored in bags, rather than the triangle fold that we are more familiar with.
Those of us taking part helped him remove it from the bag.
Half of us were on one side, holding the rolled flag.
The other half joined in and helped unfurl the flag.
The volunteer shared some information about the flag.
For instance, this is a copy of the flag that would have been flying in 1814. You might not have noticed it, but there are 15 stripes as opposed to the 13 stripes we have today. This became the official flag of the United States on May 1st, 1795. Two stars and two stripes were added for the admission of Vermont and Kentucky.
This flag was the nation’s flag for 23 years, and five presidents served under it:
George Washington (1789-1797)
John Adams (1797-1801)
Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
James Madison (1809-1817)
James Monroe (1817-1825)
By the time James Monroe left the White House, it looks like there were 24 states in the Union. Can you imagine what the flag would have looked like if they had continued adding a stripe for each state? It would be a very different looking flag!
There are four different styles of flags flown at Fort McHenry. On clear days with the right amount of wind, a full-sized replica of the Star-Spangled Banner, measuring 30×42 feet with fifteen stars and strips waves. The fort also flies smaller versions of this flag. On rainy days and at night, a small, modern 50-star American flag is flown. At night, the flag is illuminated by lights powered by solar panels.
We furled the flag and returned it to its bag and set off for the fort.
Hmm…
This flag doesn’t look quite like any in the chart. Oh, well.
Hah! I laugh at your fees! I had my sticker on and I strode in with confidence.
There was some sort of historic reenactment going on when I visited. It looks like there might be an artillery demonstration at some point.
Women were also taking part. I wonder what is for lunch?
For some reason, I didn’t take as many photos as I might have, so I am resorting to my old friend Google to help me flesh things out a bit. This aerial view is from my Preferred Source. (I couldn’t have gotten that angle anyway, as I kept both feet on the ground.)
Fort McHenry wasn’t always a National Monument and Historic Shrine. It was made a national park in 1925; on August 11, 1939, it was redesignated a “National Monument and Historic Shrine.” It’s the only such doubly designated place in the United States.
During World War I, the U.S. Army built over 100 buildings around the fort. It was one of the largest military hospitals in the country and it housed 3,000 wounded soldiers from the battlefield of France.
From 1917 until 1923, the fort also served as a surgical center. Great advances were made in neurosurgery and reconstructive surgery. It was one of the country’s first schools to reintigrate disabled soldiers into civilian life by offering special classes in typing, knitting, metal work, automobile repair and other trades, according to the informational signs at the fort.
When World War II came, it was pressed into service again. The Coast Guard used it as a training base, although historic portions remained open to the public.
But, enough of the background information. It was time to enter and see what there was to see. I entered through the sally port and encountered this odd structure.
This room with the low ceiling is what is known as a “bombproof.” There are arched chambers on either side of the sally port that were built immediately after the bombardment of 1814, when it became obvious that such places were needed. Fortunately, Fort McHenry was never shelled again, and the bombproof were never used for their intended purpose.
Although they look kind of like dungeons, what with their iron gates and dark, narrow entrances, bombproofs and magazines were built to protect personnel and ammunition from enemy artillery fire.
This wee Miss doesn’t seem to be bothered in the least by the low ceiling. On the other hand, I had to take pains not to bump my head when I squeezed my way down to read the sign, which is where I got the information about the bombproofs.
If I remember correctly, this is the entrance to one of the bombproofs.
This image of one of the reenactors taking a break made me smile. That camera is a little anachronistic.
The drummers seemed more into the time period.
As I am wont to do, I took a few moments to look behind the buildings ringing the central parade ground. So many bricks went into these buildings!
There was no interpretive signage about the ordnance behind this building, but there was another one of those cannon balls.
Its plaque said the same thing as the one inside the visitor’s center.
The buildings ringing the parade ground had many interesting displays. The one I found most interesting was information about finding the location of the original flagpole that flew the flag that Francis Scott Key wrote about.
According to the interpretive information, these oak timbers are the last pieces of the 1814 flagpole that remained here at the fort. For a long time, no one knew exactly where the flagpole was. An 1803 map shows the flagpole near the sally port, but an 1839 map places it on one of the points or “bastions” overlooking the water.
Archeologists explored the area around the sally port in 1958, using the 1803 maps for guidance. The discovered two large timbers several feet under ground. They were fitted into the shape of a cross with a large rectangular hole in the center. This cross brace was designed to keep the flagpole from tipping over in the wind. All surface evidence of the flagpole had long since been lost.
The successful defense of Baltimore from British attach has been remembered and commemorated every year since 1814. This photo, taken in 1880, shows the last 12 surviving of the remaining defenders of the fort at a celebration at Druid Hill Pavilion in Baltimore.
In September 1914, the nation observed the 100th anniversary of the writing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The fort was leased by the city and served as the centerpiece of the commemorative activities, which included a parade of tall ships, visiting U.S. Naval Vessels, parades, firework shows and the dedication of a monument to Major George Armistead, who commanded the fort in 1814.
Somehow, I managed to miss the stature, so here it is, courtesy of a Google search.
This tablet was dedicated to Francis Scott Key during the Centennial celebration in 1914. Designed by Hans Schuler, the bronze shield depicts and American flag and myrtle, symbolic of love and immortality, surrounding a portrait of Francis Scott Key.
I always visit the museums and study the displays, as time allows. Here are some questions that I found interesting.
Answer:
Wow! There’s that Fort Niagara connection again!
And the answer is:
And with that, it was time to find the exit. There was one more thing to see before I was on my way.
This is the ravelin magazine. Near the end of the Civil War, several large cannon were located on the ravelin.
The ravelin is a triangular fortification located in front of the innerworks of the fort. You can see it here, pointing toward the lower right in the photo.
The commanding officer ordered that 1,000 rounds of ammunition be kept nearby for each gun. In 1866, this magazine and two others were built to safely store the additional gunpowder.
The covered entrance with its angled stairway was designed to prevent enemy projectiles from reaching the explosives. Three feet of concrete and up to 16 feet of earth were laid over the arched brick vault.
With that, it was time to head out. I had one more stop I wanted to make before I called it a day. 
I made my way into the city.
My destination was the first major monument to honor George Washington.
The Monument was designed by American Architect Robert Mills, who also designed the later Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. Construction began in 1815 on land donated by Colonel John Eager Howard from his extensive estate just north of Baltimore Town. The statue, by Italian-born sculptor Enrico Causci, was installed in 1829.
Washington is depicted on the top of the Monument resigning his commission as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, an act which took place in the Old Senate chamber in the Maryland State House in the state capital of Annapolis, Maryland on December 23, 1783. The Confederation Congress was meeting in the Maryland capitol which served for a few months as the temporary national capital. While there, the Congress also ratified the Treaty of Paris of 1783, ending the American Revolutionary War and recognizing the independence of the United States by Great Britain.
So much history!
Lafayette is there with Washington, too. (I would have been surprised if he weren’t.)
I could have gotten out of the car and climbed the 227 steps to the top to take in the view, but I was tired and parking wasn’t readily found. I decided to head back to the hotel.
But, hey, what is that? Camden yards? Good thing the light is red. I have time to snap a photo.
The light is green and now it’s time to roll!