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Fort McHenry is a National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It was built in the late 1700s to protect the American coast and was named after James McHenry. It was the site of the Battle of Baltimore in 1814, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star Spangled Banner.” The fort is designed in the shape of a star and has been restored to its 1814 condition. It is a popular tourist destination and hosts historical reenactments.
Fort McHenry is a historic former military fort located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is designated a National Monument and Historic Shrine, the only place in the United States to carry this dual designation, and is a popular destination for tourists visiting Baltimore. Some visitors like to travel by water taxi to tour the Baltimore harbor on the way to Fort McHenry.
The fort was built in the late 1700s as part of a series of fortifications designed to protect the American coast. Fort McHenry is named for James McHenry, the secretary of war at the time the fort was designed, and was intended to protect the Port of Baltimore, an important strategic asset for the new nation.
As soon as it was finished, Fort McHenry had its first battle test, during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814. The failed British bombardment of Fort McHenry was the inspiration for Francis Scott Key to write “The Star Spangled Banner,” which later it became the national anthem of the United States. The star spangled banner of the same name that flew over the fort, the Star Spangled Banner Flag, is displayed in Washington DC, after a major restoration that began in 1999. A replica is flown over the fort when the weather is clear.
Fort McHenry is designed in the shape of a star, based on the footprint of the earthen fort that stood there when it was originally designed. Historically, the fort was surrounded by a moat which was intended to add defences, although the moat has since been filled in. During the Civil War, Fort McHenry was used as a military prison and during World War I, it became a major hospital and was surrounded by numerous buildings.
After World War I, many of the new buildings were removed, and in the 1930s, the National Park Service began restoring Fort McHenry to the condition it had been in during the Battle of Baltimore, as the fort was believed to be more historic than strategic value. From 1942 to 1945, part of the fort was leased to the United States Coast Guard, but has since been preserved solely as a historic site.
By tradition, the newly designed American flags are flown first over Fort McHenry. The first 49- and 50-star flags flown are at Fort McHenry. Historical reenactments are held in the fort periodically, and the buildings feature elements such as original furnishings and recreated scenes that allow people to see what the fort would have looked like in 1814.
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