fort mchenry’s #1 fans

I was born and raised in Maryland, close to so many cultural and historic hubs in the United States. As locals, most people might think the Smithsonion museums or the monuments are the go to recommendations for anyone coming to visit. According to my father, the absolute can’t miss spot is Fort McHenry. No matter who’s coming, how long they’re visiting, or what they’re even coming for, my father begins to pitch Fort McHenry. Reese has been coming to visit for five years and every single trip my father has pitched Fort McHenry (even when she was coming for forty-eight hours for my college graduation). He’s even pitched it to my Australian cousins who haven’t been to America since they were toddlers. Of all the spots to possibly visit when planning their grand tour of the entire country, my father has included Fort McHenry as a must stop. (The funniest part of this to me is how often my father has pitched this by saying “You” should go, not “We”. He always had no intention of coming with us).

So, when we were planning our annual week-long trip to visit my family in August, Fort McHenry was finally at the top of the list. After half a decade of hearing its praises sung, it was time to visit the fort. (I had been three times previously as a child/teen, but barely remembered it). Reese and I made the unhinged plan to begin our trip by going straight from the airport to Fort McHenry. (And I was very insistent that my father accompany us so we could see why he loved it so much first hand).

My parents and sister picked us up from the airport, bringing aloo sandwiches (aloo is Hindi for potato) and cookies, and we had a picnic on the benches outside the fort. It had been so long since I’d had home cooked Indian food or a picnic and both were the perfect way to de-stress after a plane ride. (We were all sleep deprived from a hectic previous week but instead of napping on the plane Reese and I manicly co-watched Shrek with the enthusiasm of five year olds. We had no regrets except immediately after the plane landed and all we wanted was a nap).

After you purchase your tickets, there’s a dramatic film that re-enacts the events of Fort McHenry’s defining moment in history. It may be a little heavy, but it is quite moving (my mom even spouted a few tears). Then there’s an indoor museum, gift shop, and you are free to walk around the grounds as you please. To Reese’s utter chagrin, her partner Tan decided to buy a Fort McHenry hat and flag and hold it up during our entire tour of the grounds.

(side note: my parents ended up getting the America the Beautiful Annual Pass. For $80 over one year, four people are granted free entry to a variety of National Parks locations in the country. If you’ve got National Parks you’ve been planning to visit near you, I recommend checking it out. I believe this is the list of all that’s covered but I’d crosscheck with a government website). 

In the annals of history, Fort McHenry is most known for being the site where Francis Scott Key penned the National Anthem. During the War of 1812 (which actually lasted from 1812 to 1815), primarily fought between Americans and the British, Fort McHenry became a crucial point of defense against British forces. The nation's capital had already fallen, (the British burned down the White House and much of Washington D.C. on August 24th, 1814) and so the British began targeting Baltimore. 

Despite the small size, and only one thousand defenders, Fort McHenry withstood a prolonged attack by the most powerful navy in the world (at that time). On September 14th, 1814, after twenty-five hours of bombs and rockets aimed at the fort, the dawn rose and the fort and its defenders still stood. Francis Scott Key witnessed the entire bombardment from a ship on the harbor and saw the flag waving as the smoke cleared. His heart swelled with patriotism and he was inspired to write “The Defense of Fort M’Henry”, which later became “The Star-Spangled Banner” (which officially became the national anthem in 1931). 

Fort McHenry has been utilized in several ways throughout American History. During the Civil War, the fort was used to defend the city from sea and land threats (including intimidating any pro-secession Baltimorians from rioting) and used as a prison. In World War II, the grounds transformed into a hospital from 1917 to 1925. In 1933, the Fort was turned into a National Park and Historic site and has remained out of commission since then (apart from being used as a Coast Guard training site for World War II). Fort McHenry is also the location where new stars added to the American flag (such as when Hawaii or Alaska became states) are officially unveiled. Should Puerto Rico, or any other states be added to the flag in the future, they will also be unveiled at Fort McHenry. 

Okay… despite the sass and sarcasm of the intro, we genuinely did love visiting Fort McHenry. The history and impact of the place is really staggering when you think about everything that’s happened there. For its minuscule size, the star-shaped fort managed to defend the entire city of Baltimore (whose loss could have even changed the outcome of the entire war.) Perhaps the United States of America would have been a thirty-five-ish year experiment instead of an eventual global superpower. (According to a rabbit hole I went down instead of writing this, some studies consider the United States the sole current superpower, but perhaps not for long). With my father’s insane encouragement, Reese and I joke that we are now all amongst Fort McHenry’s #1 fans.