Overview
More than 200 years ago, Fort McHenry survived a 25-hour bombardment from the British navy and inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner” (which did not officially become the U.S. national anthem until 1931). The flag flying the night of September 13, 1814 measured 42 x 30 feet! It is no wonder he was stirred while watching “the rockets’ red glare” from aboard a U.S. truce ship under British guard floating in the Chesapeake Bay outside Baltimore, Maryland. The Congreve rocket was a new type of weapon at the time, and, luckily for the Americans, very inaccurate.
Highlights
Museum, film, fort, twice daily flag changes
Must-Do Activity
Fort McHenry went on to serve as a temporary prison during the Civil War, when its many cannons were pointed towards the city of Baltimore so Confederate sympathizers would not secede from the Union. During World War I, the fort served as a veterans’ hospital before being designated a National Park Service (NPS) unit in 1925. Later it was re-designated Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, the only park with this unique distinction.
Best Trail
Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail is not a hiking trail so much as it is a collection of sites related to the War of 1812 in and around the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River.
Instagram-worthy Photo
Our flag is still there. This is officially the only NPS unit where the U.S. flag flies 24 hours a day. Daily flag changes take place at 9:30 a.m. and 4:20 p.m., weather permitting.
Peak Season
Summer
Hours
https://www.nps.gov/fomc/planyourvisit/hours.htm
Fees
$15 per person or America the Beautiful pass
Road Conditions
All roads paved to the designated NPS parking lot.
Camping
Patapsco Valley State Park is located west of Baltimore, Maryland.
Related Sites
Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument (District of Columbia)
Hampton National Historic Site (Maryland)
Fort Washington Park (Maryland)
Tiff outside of Fort McHenry 
Cannons under cover 
Scott down in part of the fort 
Inside the fort 
Tiff in the barracks 
Tiff in the powder magazine 
One of the “bombs bursting in air” 
Inside one of the officer’s rooms 
Explore More – When a new state is added to the union, the newly redesigned flag is first flown over Fort McHenry, so when did that last occur?
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