The birthplace of the National Anthem has been on my tourist list for the last couple years. I finally visited this last Thursday with my boyfriend. Bear in mind that the visitor center and Star Fort are closed due to the pandemic, but the grounds are still open. The park was not at all crowded, thankfully, and we could still see the Fort while walking around the perimeter.

The pathway has some informative signs that we enjoyed reading and cannons we imagined firing. Also, from a distance we watched some workers dressed in colonial outfits.

The Star-Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the Battle of Baltimore. Fun fact: My grade school best friend was a direct descendant of Key and her father carried the exact same name!

We took some time to reflect on the words of the Anthem and the meaning behind them at the Fort. I learned from the signs that “ramparts” are the Fort’s walls and that the flag rising over the ramparts vary in size. Smaller flags are flown at night and during inclement weather.

Fort McHenry is situated on the Northwest Harbor of the Patapsco River and in fact, I could see the Natty Boh logo sign of Canton on the other side of the harbor.

We walked a leisurely 2 miles on the pathway, which also ran along the water, and we took some breaks to sit in the shade.

From the shore, we saw a few odd creatures floating in the water that we jokingly said were a newly discovered species called water dragons. All we could see was the neck and head above water. They frequently dove underwater for an entire minute and emerged with lunch. One even caught and ate an entire snake! We did some research and realized that they were cormorants. Funny thing is that I first heard about cormorants a couple weeks prior while reading Reese’s book club pick, The Guest List. In the book, the birds were described as bad luck.

This handsome fellow with a rock hard bum is named Orpheus, the Greek myth hero of music & poetry. He represents Key for writing the National Anthem.

We also came across a dedication to Colonel George Armistead who commanded the defense of Fort McHenry.

I am excited to return one day when it all reopens to the public!

xo Rae xo