Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, Maryland

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, Maryland
© https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_McHenry3.jpg
Author: Ad Meskens

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine is a historic site in Baltimore, Maryland. It preserves the star-shaped fort which successfully defended Baltimore Harbor against British attack in the War of 1812.

The British bombardment of Fort McHenry inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the poem, "The Star-Spangled Banner", which was later set to the tune of "To Anacreon in Heaven", and became the national anthem of the United States.

Fort McHenry, Baltimore
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_mc_henry_cannon_Baltimore.jpg
Author: Urban


Fort McHenry was named after James McHenry, who served as the Secretary of War under President George Washington. The fort was built in 1798 following the American Declaration of Independence, for the purpose of protecting Baltimore Harbor. It was sited on Locust Point which faces the opening of the harbor. The fort has a dry moat surrounding it that served as a shelter for musketmen to defend it from land attacks.

On 13 September, 1814, British warships continuously bombarded Fort McHenry for 25 hours. However they were unable to penetrate the harbor because the Americans fought back with cannons. Also the harbor has blocked by 22 sunken ships.

The British had rockets with a range of 1.75 miles (2.8 km) and they came close enough to hit the fort. Fortunately for the Americans, the British rockets were not accurate. Due to that and the limited range of the American guns, neither side inflicted much damage on the other.

Fort McHenry entrance
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FtMcHenryEntrance.JPG
Author: ScottyBoy900Q


Fort McHenry was designated a National Monument and Historic Shrine on 11 August, 1939. It was also entered to the National Register of Historic Places on 5 October, 1966. Due to its significance in the history of the formation of the nation, Fort McHenry is given the honor to first fly any newly designed American flag. Thus the first official 49-star and 50-star American flags were first flown at Fort McHenry, and are still kept on the premises.

Visiting Fort McHenry National Monument, Maryland

Fort McHenry is located at Locust Point in Baltimore. It is three miles to the southeast of Baltimore Inner Harbor, off Interstate-95. If you're coming on I-95, keep to the far right and exit as soon as you emerge from the Fort McHenry Tunnel. Take Exit 55 and follow the signage to the fort.

The Fort McHenry park is open daily from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm while the fort and the visitor center are open from 8:00 am to 4:45 pm. The site is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Entrance fee to the site is $7 per person aged 16 and above.

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