Fort McHenry: Where the Star-Spangled Banner Was Written

Fort McHenry: Where the Star-Spangled Banner Was Written

2400 East Fort Avenue on the Patapsco River. Star-shaped fortress, deep red brick, construction starting in the 1790s. On September 12-14, 1814, McHenry withstood a British bombardment that could have broken Baltimore. By dawn the flag still flew — the image Francis Scott Key turned into the anthem's first lines.

Walk the ramparts. The harbor glints. Near the guardhouse, a small plaque marks where the flagpole stood during the bombardment — a humble inch of stone anchoring the legend. The fort became a monument to endurance and a public space where Baltimore's past stays alive for visitors who listen between the breeze and the distant harbor traffic.

The view from the ramparts puts the harbor, the Key Bridge approach, and the city skyline in one frame. Free with National Park pass or $15 per vehicle.