18th century Fort McHenry was built on the site of the former Fort Whetstone, which was used to defend
Baltimore from 1776 to 1797. Fort Whetstone stood on Whetstone Point in the residential and industrial area of present-day
Locust Point in Baltimore, which juts into the opening of
Baltimore Harbor between the basin at the present-day Inner Harbor and Northwest branch on the north side and the Middle and Ferry (now Southern) branches of the
Patapsco River on the south side. The Frenchman Jean Foncin designed the fort in 1798, and it was built between 1798 and 1800. The new fort's purpose was to improve the defenses of the increasingly important
Port of Baltimore from future enemy attacks. The new fort was a bastioned pentagon, surrounded by a dry
moat—a deep, broad trench. The moat would serve as a shelter from which infantry might defend the fort from a land attack. In case of such an attack on this first line of defense, each point, or
bastion could provide a crossfire of cannon and small arms fire. Fort McHenry was named after early American statesman
James McHenry (1753–1816), a
Scots-Irish immigrant and surgeon-soldier. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress from Maryland and a signer of the United States Constitution. Afterwards, he was appointed
United States Secretary of War (1796–1800), serving under
Presidents George Washington and
John Adams.
19th century War of 1812 Beginning at 6:00 a.m. on September 13, 1814, British warships under the command of Vice Admiral
Alexander Cochrane continuously bombarded Fort McHenry for 25 hours. The American defenders had 18-, 24- and 32-pounder () cannons. The British guns had a range of , and the British
rockets had a range, but neither guns nor rockets were accurate. The British ships were unable to pass Fort McHenry and penetrate
Baltimore Harbor because of its defenses, including a chain of 22 sunken ships, and the American cannons. The British vessels were able to fire their
rockets and
mortars at the fort only at the weapons' maximum range. The poor accuracy on both sides resulted in very little damage to either side before the British, having depleted their ammunition, ceased their attack on the morning of September 14. Only one British warship, a bomb vessel, received a direct hit from the fort's return fire, which wounded one sailor. The British withdrew after the bombardment, ending the
Battle of Baltimore in an American victory. The Americans, under the command of Major
George Armistead, lost four killed—one woman was cut in half by a bomb as she carried supplies to the troops—and 24 wounded, including one black soldier,
Private William Williams. At one point during the bombardment, a bomb crashed through the fort's
powder magazine. However, either the rain extinguished the fuse or the bomb was a
dud.
Star-Spangled Banner . The family of Major
George Armistead, the commander of the fort, donated the flag to the
Smithsonian Institution in 1912. Washington lawyer
Francis Scott Key went to Baltimore to negotiate the release of Dr. William Beans, a civilian prisoner of war, and there he witnessed the bombardment from a nearby truce ship. An oversized American flag had been sewn by
Mary Pickersgill for $405.90 in anticipation of the British attack on the fort. Key saw the flag emerge intact in the dawn of September 14,
World War II During
World War II, Fort McHenry served as a
Coast Guard base.
Today The fort has become a center of recreation for the Baltimore locals as well as a prominent tourist destination. Thousands of visitors come each year to see the "Birthplace of the Star-Spangled Banner." It's easily accessible by
water taxi from the popular Baltimore
Inner Harbor. However, to prevent abuse of the parking lots at the Fort, the
National Park Service does not permit passengers to take the water taxi back to the Inner Harbor unless they have previously used it to arrive at the monument. Several authorized archaeological digs have been conducted, and found artifacts are on display in one of the buildings surrounding the Parade Ground. These structures, as well as the Visitor Center, have numerous other exhibits as well that show the fort's use over time. Every September, the City of Baltimore commemorates
Defenders Day in honor of the Battle of Baltimore. It is the biggest celebration of the year at the Fort, accompanied by a weekend of programs, events, and fireworks. In 2005 the living history volunteer unit, the
Fort McHenry Guard, was awarded the George B. Hartzog award for serving the National Park Service as the best volunteer unit. Among the members of the unit is
Martin O'Malley, the former mayor of Baltimore and Governor of Maryland, who was made the unit's honorary colonel in 2003. The flag that flew over Fort McHenry, the
Star-Spangled Banner Flag, has deteriorated to an extremely fragile condition. After undergoing restoration at the
National Museum of American History, it is now on display there in a special exhibit that allows it to lie at a slight angle in dim light. The
United States Code currently authorizes Fort McHenry's closure to the public in the event of a
national emergency for use by the military for the duration of such an emergency. In 2013, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine was honored with its own
quarter under the
America the Beautiful Quarters Program. On September 10–16, 2014, Fort McHenry celebrated the bicentennial of the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner called the Star-Spangled Spectacular. The event included a parade of tall ships, a large fireworks show, and the Navy's Blue Angels , restoration efforts began to preserve the original brick used in construction of the Fort, primarily through mortar replacement. On August 26, 2020, when due to the
COVID-19 pandemic a normal
Republican National Convention could not be held, vice president
Mike Pence held his acceptance speech at Fort McHenry after being nominated for a second term as vice president of the United States. On November 21, 2025, Fort McHenry was closed temporarily due when construction workers unearthed what appeared to be
unexploded ordinance. It was safely deposed of, and the fort reopened the next day. ==Gallery==