Highlights of Fort McHenry, Birthplace of the Star-Spangled Banner

Author:
goldenrulecomics
Updated:
Aug 30, 2017

Visiting Fort McHenry, the Site of the Battle That Inspired America's National Anthem!

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine is a great place to visit, full of inspiring history, lovely grounds and cool views. It's also a place to learn more about the birth of the National Anthem and the War of 1812 -- a conflict that is one of the lesser-known in U.S. history. Run by the National Park Service, Fort McHenry is the only place in the U.S. that is both a national monument and historic shrine.

Fort McHenry: the Movie!

A Great Film Detailing the Battle!

The tour begins in the visitor center, with a movie detailing the events leading up to the Sept. 13-14, 1814 battle at the fort. The movie explains why the fort was so important: The British couldn't take Baltimore only by land, they needed naval muscle. While British soldiers on the mainland struggled against American earthworks, the British planned on floating up the Patapsco River to attack the city from the inner harbor.

The men in the fort held out under intense shelling and bad weather, and when the morning came and the British withdrew Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the Star-Spangled Banner. The live-action movie really does a good job of showing the fear of the Baltimore residents and the horrible weather conditions of the night.

At the end, the movie screen scrolls up and there's a beautiful view through a large window of the magnificent flag waving over the fort. (HINT-- click on the map!).

It's such a great climax that it's hard not to feel that the flag should hold a special place in every American's heart!

Touring the Visitor Center's Museum

After the movie, there's a small museum that does a good job explaining the history of the American flag, the national anthem and the War of 1812, with several interactive computer displays to keep the kids interested. One highlight is a video with people across the country explaining what the anthem means to them.

Another highlight -- and my favorite -- is the earliest known copy of the song in Francis Scott key's handwriting, with revisions and scribbles in the margin. The museum says this is likely the first draft, although there's no way to know for sure.

In addition to displaying historical relics from the era, such as musket balls and a powder keg, the museum takes you through the War of 1812 year by year. The timeline puts the conflict in context and talks about the aftermath in a clear, concise manner. It's well worth spending the time to read before heading out to the fort.

For More Information:

National Park Service's Fort McHenry site
This site contains visiting hours and other useful information
Wikipedia's Fort McHenry page
This site contains more information about Fort McHenry
Wikipedia's Francis Scott Key page
This site contains more information about Francis Scott Key

What About You? - What are your plans?

I wrote this lens after a visit to the fort. Have you ever visited the fort, or do you plan to? If yes, what did you think? If no, why not?

The Park's Grounds

A Pleasant Stroll

The fort sits in beautiful parkland that is well worth the stroll. You can see the working waterfront across the river, and the Francis Scott Key bridge in the distance.

On the grounds is a statue of Major George Armistead, commander of the fort during the battle. Also in the park is a much-larger statue of Orpheus, the mythological Greek hero of music and poetry, which was erected in 1922 to honor Francis Scott Key and the men who fought in the battle.

Outside the fort are some 15-inch Rodman guns and batteries from the 1840s that replaced the ones that were present during the War of 1812. After walking along the fort's bastions, you can enter the fort proper.

Inside the Fort

Oddly enough, the first room we came across wasn't actually from the War of 1812. It was actually a guard house from the Civil War. Confederate soldiers were held at the fort, along with members of the Maryland legislature accused of southern sympathies.

We then went into the regular soldiers' barracks and marveled at how tight the bunks and rooms seemed to be. Another section of the barracks gives a complete history of the fort through its life as a military hospital in World War I and it being turned over to the park service.

The junior officers' quarters were closed for renovation, but a peek through the window revealed the officers lived in much better rooms than the enlisted men. A period dinner table was set up and looked like it belonged in a fancy restaurant. UPDATE 8/8/2011: My wife took some friends to Fort McHenry this week and the junior officers' quarters are now open! The dinner table is still set, and the beds the officers slept in were much nicer than the enlisted mens', as would be expected!

I really enjoyed the commanding officer's quarters, mainly because Major George Armstead was a true hero. Showing courage leading up and through the battle, the war took its toll on his health and he died in 1818 at age 38. Very sad. On the grounds is one of the bombs that hit the fort during the battle but didn't explode.

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At the end of the day the park rangers recruit the visitors to help fold the Star Spangled Banner. At 17 feet by 25 feet, it takes more than a couple of people to do it properly. This isn't the largest flag that Fort McHenry flies -- there's an even larger one that gets flown during the summer when the weather is good and there is no wind. The 17X25-foot flag that was flying the day we visited is the same size as the one that flew over Fort McHenry on the night of the historic battle..

What should be the National Anthem? - What do you think?

Some people say the Star-Spangled Banner is very fitting as the national anthem. Others would like the anthem to be ''America the Beautiful.'' Which side of the song controversy are you on?

Which side of the song controversy are you on?

This is a very short video that my daughter shot of the flag flying over Fort McHenry on the day we were there.

Getting Ready to Fold the Flag!

Tourists Ready to Lend a Hand at National Park

Here's another photo of the flag-folding at Fort McHenry, where everybody gets a chance to help the park rangers!

Ford's Theatre, National Portrait and the National Zoo!

Reviews of Nearby Washington, D.C.

If you are planning on going to Baltimore you might want to combine it with a trip to Washington, D.C., which is only about an hour's drive away.

We took a family trip to the nation's capital earlier this year and wrote reviews of many places that we visited. Check these out as they will help you plan your trip!

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The National Zoo: A Washington D.C. Family Day Trip
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Highlights of the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum
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Highlights of the Library of Congress: Thomas Jefferson, Bob Hope and the Gutenberg Bible!
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Renoir and Highlights of the Phillips Collection: A Washington D.C. Family Day Trip
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Of Family Vacations and Comic Books

About Goldenrulecomics

For more about us and what we write about please see here:

Of Comic Books and Family Vacations: Who is GoldenRuleComics?
Who is GoldenRuleComics? Actually, the better question is who ARE GoldenRuleComics! I am the father of a teenage daughter, and we live in New Jersey. I hand...

Hello. This guestbook is your opportunity to say what you liked or didn't like about Fort McHenry, this blog or just about anything else I've written about above! Thanks for stopping by!

It's Your Turn Now! - Here's your chance to voice your opinion

Squirt2Squidoo on November 27, 2013:

This is a Great Lens!

KonaGirl from New York on June 10, 2013:

The history of Fort Henry is very interesting. If I ever make it back to Baltimore, I will be sure to visit.

bossypants on February 10, 2013:

Your tour of the fort and grounds is a great read. I almost feel like I've been there! Nice article!

Lorelei Cohen from Canada on February 10, 2013:

My husband and I will be doing some traveling in the US this year but probably not to Fort McHenry. It looks like a wonderful historic site to visit though.

anonymous on January 21, 2013:

Great lens! LOL!

lovetolink on August 09, 2012:

That's a big flag! What a great experience to be able to help fold it. We learned about Maryland and Ft. McHenry this past year. We found it fascinating that a flag has been flying there 24 hours a day since 1948. Glad you enjoyed my Facts about Louisiana. Hope you get back to New Orleans one day. Thanks for leaving a note!

Maria Burgess from Las Vegas, Nevada on July 10, 2012:

um...what I said above!! =) (there was more to this lens!! ) Nice! Putting this spot on my places to see list!

floppypoppygift1 on June 25, 2012:

I nominated this for the 4th of July LOTD!

agoofyidea on June 14, 2012:

When I was in the 6th grade my friends and I made a video of the Battle at Fort McHenry and Francis Scott Key. It was for a history competition. We didn't win, but it was a lot of fun. I recommend everyone visit this site. It is a great slice of American history.

Tony Payne from Southampton, UK on June 01, 2012:

Nicely done, I would love to visit here one day.

uneasywriter lm on February 27, 2012:

Great lens about an important place in American history! Thank you!

Senditondown from US on February 26, 2012:

Hi, had stopped by a while back and neglected to leave a comment. I have visited Fort McHenry and found it to be an excellent and educational time. Looking out over the harbor and picturing what Francis Scott Key saw that evening is truly humbling. Adding a visit to the Fort with a side trip to the Inner Harbor is just great. There are a lot of things to see and do in Baltimore. P.S. I enjoyed my visit to this lens as well. Nicely done.

goldenrulecomics (author) from New Jersey on February 05, 2012:

@Brandi Bush: Thank you for adding it to your lens, which everyone should visit by the way. You did a great job!

Brandi from Maryland on February 03, 2012:

Great lens! Thank you for suggesting this for my Patriotic Lenses on Squidoo lens. It has been added under the "Proud To Be An American" section! :)

tincredibleindia on October 24, 2011:

It is an awesome post.

Thanks & Regards

India Tourism

celeBritys4africA on June 14, 2011:

A great virtual tour.

Sunflower Susan on May 02, 2011:

I was reading The Last of the Mohicans to my son last summer. It was really fun to pull out the map as we were reading and find those places.