Fort McHenry

Fort McHenry defended Baltimore from British attack on September 12-14, 1814 during the War of 1812. The British warships were held at bay at the approximate position of today's Key Bridge.

After both sides ceased firing on September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key, from a truce ship in the harbor, observed an American flag still flying over the fort. Key memorialized this event in a poem that eventually became the national anthem of the United States, "The Star Spangled Banner". A 24-foot bronze statue of Orpheus overlooks the fort as a monument to Key and the soldiers and sailors who repulsed the attack on Baltimore.