I’m not lost… just undiscovered [in Baltimore]
Baltimore County, MD
After the John Mayer concert, I bought James Morrison’s album, Undiscovered. Well, I love it, hence today’s title. I love the sound and lyrics of his songs. In honor of my great find and to put my newly acquired soundtrack to use, I synced my iPod and headed out for the day… to use my new camera!! Yayee.
Inner Harbor
Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse
The Baltimore Maritime Museum is a series of three ship museums and a lighthouse scattered throughout the harbor. It’s about $15.00 to tour all five pieces, but I haven’t had the attention span to commit to touring them. The screw-pile lighthouse sat along the Chesapeake Bay for 133 years marking the Seven Foot Knoll shoal at the mouth of the Patapsco River. In addition, the museum maintains a WWII sub, USCG cutter, which survived the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, and Bay lightship.
Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens
Today was not a game day for the O’s, so the stadium area was very quiet and open. I wandered through Eutaw Street and visited the various sports memorials, including the Orioles’ retired numbers, Babe Ruth, a Baltimore native, and Johnny Unitas, the great Baltimore Colts’ quarterback.
Downtown
University of Maryland Medical Center
Old Pine Street Station
Firefighters Memorial
Engine House No. 6.
The Old Pine Street Station is a former police station, now a National Registered Historic Place. It’s currently owned by the University of Maryland campus, although not in use. It was rather out of the way, but hey, what’s a little more walking? I’ll admit I had planned to walk passed a few more random historic buildings, however I found myself walking alone in an area I didn’t feel comfortable. I made a detour back to relatively friendly territory and continued from there.
The Baltimore City Firefighters Memorial was next to the City Fire Department Headquarters, near City Hall. I thought it was very fitting. Simple, with just a statue of a firefighter holding his ax in the middle of a flower bed, but beautiful. Engine House No. 6, formerly an Independent Fire Company station, is another National Historic Place within the city. It was actually built in the early 1850’s, prior to the organization of the city fire department. It currently houses the Baltimore City Fire Museum. I would have walked through, however, it wasn’t open. Oh well.
Jonestown
Star-Spangled Banner Museum
Flag House office
The flag house was home to Mary Young Pickersgill, her mother, and her young daughter. During the War of 1812, Pickersgill, a local seamstress, was hired by Fort McHenry commander MAJ George Armistead to create a large, unmistakable flag to fly over the fort during the impending battle with the British Navy. The 30-ft by 42-ft, 15 star and 15 stripe flag proudly waved over the garrison throughout the 1814 Battle of Baltimore. After the 25-hour bombardment from British ships in the Chesapeake Bay, the flag remained unscathed, a sight that inspired American attorney Francis Scott Key to pen his poem The Defense of Fort McHenry. The poem would later be renamed and become the National Anthem of the United States.
In addition to the house, there is also a small museum dedicated to the US flag and national anthem. There are a few exhibits displaying several artifacts from the time period, including the original invoice for Pickersgill’s flag. The museum entrance is an actual-size glass replica of the original flag.
During my tour, the guide pointed out a large pile of folded fabric in the corner of the Flag House office. Apparently, a group of amateur seamstresses undertook a project to replicate Pickergill’s feat. It took them nearly six months to finish the large folded flag, with similar dimensions to the original, in the picture. In comparison, Pickergill, her mother and teenage daughter completed the Fort McHenry flag in about six weeks for $400.00.
Today’s Flickr set: city pictures
Oh yeah, and lovin’ my new camera. The picture quality is SO much better!
“Oh say can you see…what so proudly we hailed”
Baltimore, MD
Things worked out today in such a way I had an opportunity for a mid-week walk, always a nice addition to my schedule. It’s a therapy day, so I have to leave campus early anyway and since I was already in the area on such a beautiful day, I went to see Fort McHenry.
The Fort
Enlisted & Junior Officers’ Quarters
Parade Ground and Flag
The five-point star shaped fort was built after the American Revolution on Baltimore’s Locus Point peninsula to defend the Port of Baltimore. It’s most notable for its role in the Battle of Baltimore during the all-but-forgotten War of 1812. The fort endured a 25-hour bombardment from British Navy warships in the Chesapeake Bay on September 13, 1814. The ships were unable to pass the harbors defenses and withdrew the following morning, ending the naval portion of the conflict.
The fort was later used as a Union Civil War prison and, with the addition more buildings on the grounds outside of the fort, as a military hospital during World War I. Finally, during World War II, the US Coast Guard used it as a base to defend the port. In the mid-1920’s the National Park Service took it over and restored it to its original condition.
Misc
View of the Chesapeake Bay from the fort, with some of its Civil War-era guns
During the Battle of Baltimore in 1814, the British Navy, including Francis Scott Key’s truce ship, would have been straight ahead in this view.
The Statue of Orpheus, honoring Key
Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer, had traveled to Baltimore in September 1814 to negotiate the release of a friend held as a prisoner by the British and watched the fort’s bombardment from a truce ship in the Bay. Seeing the oversized American flag, sewn by local Mary Pickersgill, still flying unscathed the following morning as the fighting eased inspired him to pen the poem The Defense of Fort McHenry. Sound familiar? The poem was later set to music and renamed The Star Spangled Banner.
The site is very well maintained. This is what a National Park area should look in my opinion. The fort itself was in great shape. The buildings inside were in good condition and housed exhibits providing information about the fort, life within the fort and the people who occupied in during various times. The grounds were kept up nicely. Overall, definitely worth the trip and $7.00 entrance fee.
Today’s Flickr set: site photos
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