Maryland is live on Travelog with one city, Baltimore, home to Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. Entrance costs $15 per adult for 7-day access, free for children under 15. British warships bombarded the fort for 25 hours on September 13-14, 1814, and the sight of the fort's massive 30-by-42-foot flag still flying afterward inspired Francis Scott Key to write what became the US national anthem. That original flag, sewn by Mary Pickersgill and several assistants, now resides at the Smithsonian.
The Star-Spangled Banner's origin story involves a specific, documented flag and its specific makers, worth understanding accurately before visiting the site that inspired it, covered in full below.
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