The fort today is a monument maintained by the National Park Service, and it has been described as one place that every schoolchild in the United States should visit at least once. It is, indeed, a precious relic remarkably preserved, with exhibits and memorabilia restored and displayed in the usual superior NPS fashion. You can walk the walls, sit on the cannon, tour the barracks and officers’ quarters, and try to imagine life as it existed then in the young nation and one of its principle port cities. The video presentation in the visitor center is not to be missed, and ends with a flourish that will swell pride to your heart and a tear to your eye.
A Maryland lawyer, invited to dine aboard a British ship with a colleague to negotiate the exchange of prisoners, Key was held against his will during the battle for fear if released he would reveal the plans to invade Baltimore. From this helpless vantage point he despaired as the city appeared, shot by shot, to be destroyed. His joy at the fleet’s failure inspired the poem which became the song. Interestingly, the Francis Scott Key Bridge today arcs the Baltimore Beltway across the outer harbor in the approximate area where the ships were anchored to shell the fort.  In later life Key would prosecute President Jackson’s would-be assassin, publish a book of poems, and eventually be inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. A distant descendant would even bear his name as F. Scott (Key) Fitzgerald. But Key would never know how his name and words would live in the history of the young country whose fate he despaired that long fearful night. Dozens of battles equally important were fought in our history, and this one might easily have faded but for a single scared citizen moved to eloquence by his profound relief when dawn revealed the tattered flag waving proudly above the battered fort. He did not write the words for fame or fortune, but to express his humble gratitude to the fates that night which chose for a time to preserve the “land of the free and the home of the brave”.
IF YOU GO
The fort is three miles southeast of the Baltimore Inner Harbor and just off I-95. Follow the brown Fort McHenry directional signs along all major routes to the park. From I-95 northbound or southbound, take Exit 55 Key Highway and follow Fort McHenry signs on Key Highway to Lawrence Street. Turn left on Lawrence Street and then left on Fort Avenue. Proceed one mile to the park.
From the Inner Harbor, take Light Street south to Key Highway. Turn left and follow the Fort McHenry signs to Lawrence Street. Turn right on Lawrence Street and then left on Fort Avenue to the park.
After your day at the fort, sample some of Baltimore’s famous seafood and local dining treasures. Some of our favorites are:
The Café Hon, 1002 W. 36th St. Old time neighborhood restaurant in a restored hardware store will take you back in time with Mom’s meatloaf, crab cakes the way they’re supposed to be, and a mixed berry pie to die for.
Asahi Sushi, 514 S. Broadway in funky Fells Point. Delightful and interesting Korean and Japanese specialties artfully prepared in a cozy atmosphere. The Rusty Scupper, 402 Key Highway, on the way to the fort, upscale seafood on the inner harbor with a view that can’t be beat.
Photos by the author and courtesy of the National Park Service
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