In the News

Limited Edition Star-Spangled Banners Available for Purchase

The Friends of Fort McHenry have partnered with F. W. Haxel to offer a limited edition 15 star / 15 stripe flag to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the defense of Fort McHenry and Baltimore during the War of 1812! Available for purchase through the F. W. Haxel website, these 3' x 5' American-made flags feature sewn stripes and appliqued stars and come with a certificate of authenticity. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these flags will benefit the Friends of Fort McHenry. Please be sure to designate your purchase for the Friends when ordering!

Francis Scott Key Award Presentation

The Friends of Fort McHenry were delighted and honored to present the Francis Scott Key Award to Raymond A. "Chip" Mason, Chair of the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission and former President and CEO of Legg Mason, Inc. The award was presented during Fort McHenry's Defenders Day commemoration on September 10, 2011.

Mr. Mason was honored for his accomplished leadership of the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission, the state commission leading the multi-year cultural tourism and educational initiative to commemorate Maryland's unique contributions to our national defense and identity during the War of 1812. Mr. Mason is also recognized as a leader of Baltimore's business community, having founded Mason and Company in 1962 and spent his career building the financial services organization Legg Mason, Inc.

The Friends of Fort McHenry present the Francis Scott Key award annually to an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the preservation and/or public appreciation of Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine.

Grants Awarded for a Virtual Resource Center

We are pleased to announce that the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority awarded a grant for $40,000 and Chesapeake Bay Gateways awarded a grant for $50,000 for the development of a virtual resource center focusing on the War of 1812.

In preparation for the Bicentennial of the writing of our National Anthem and the War of 1812, Fort McHenry is working to increase access to relevant web-based educational resources and lesson plans for students and teachers nationwide. The Friends of Fort McHenry in partnership with Living Classrooms Foundation applied for funding support to create a metafile, searchable database incorporating all existing and future lesson plans, curriculum and other related documents and articles on the War of 1812, the Battle of Baltimore, and the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner. When complete this database will be available to teachers and students free of charge on the www.thinkport.org website, which is a project of Maryland Public Television. The database will not only be searchable by keyword or subject, but also by national and local educational standards. Material will be continually added, with training sessions offered to parties interested in using the related tools and features.