Thursday, July 13, 2017 • APG News A5

‘O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave?’ Patriotism abound where inspiration for national anthem was sewn

By Rachel Ponder APG News

Though garners much atten- tion as the creator of the first American flag, she is not the only important seamstress in American history. The Star Spangled Banner Flag House in ’s Little Italy neighborhood shines light on a different seamstress: the woman who stitched together the flag that inspired FrancisScott Keyto pen the wordsthat would eventually become the U.S. national anthem. Seamstress Mary Young Pickersgill, an experienced flagmaker, was commissioned by Lt. Col. , who served as the commander of Fort McHenry in Balti- more, during the Warof1812.According to the National Park Service, in 1813, Armistead ordered a flag “so large that the British will have no difficulty seeing it from a distance.” This “Great Garrison Flag” flew over Fort McHenry during the in 1814. The sight of the flag during this battle inspired Key to write the poem the “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” which later became the lyrics for “The Star-Spangled Banner” which became the national anthem in1931. Amanda Shores Davis, executive director of the Star Spangled Banner Flag House, said Pickersgill stitched the 30 by 42-foot flag with the help of several family members and an indentured servant named Grace Wisher for six weeks during the summer of1813. The flag required morethan 400 yardsof English wool bunting fabric. “There is an estimated one million stitches in the flag,” Davis said. The project began in Pickersgill’s home, she said, but because of the size of the flag it wascompleted “justup the street”in the malt house of Brown’s Brewery, which is now the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott. “For quite sometime this was the largest flag in America, if not the world,” said tour COURTESY PHOTO OF THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER FLAG HOUSE guide Michael Aderman. The “Great Flag Window” is a to-scale replica of the Star-Spangled Banner, also known as the Great Garrison Flag, a large flag that flew Widowed at age 29, Pickersgill had a over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814. successful flag-making business in her Balti- more home from “about 1807 to 1816,” Davis said. She described Pickersgill as an “inspira- tional” woman who was active in her community, served as the president of the Impartial Female Humane Society, and advo- cated for the rights of elderly and working- class women. Under her leadership, the organization built a home for elderly women and later included elderly men. Her legacy continues, as more than a century later, this facility has evolved into the Pickersgill Retirement Community, now based in Towson, . Housetours Museum visitors can tour the Pickersgill home, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in1970. “The historic house is a beautiful example of late 18th-century architecture and is furnished with period and family objects,” Davis said. The home, which was built in 1793, contains a replica of the Star-Spangled Banner that was made by the Baltimore Weavers Society for the 1964/1965 New York PHOTO COURTESY OF THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER World’s Fair. The original Star-Spangled U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY RACHEL PONDER, APG NEWS FLAG HOUSE Banner is part of the Smithsonian’s perma- The original desk used by Mary Pickersgill is on display in the Star Spangled Banner Flag Photo of seamstress Mary Pickersgill, taken nent collection, and is on display at the House. around 1850. National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. “Great Flag Window,” a to-scale replica of the After the family sold the home in 1867, it Star-Spangled Banner, a stone map of the became a “cornerstone” in the community, United States, and a patriotic rose garden Davis said. The building served as a phar- courtesy of volunteers from the Maryland macy, Italian bakery, tavern, post office, and a Rose Society. bilingual steamship ticket office, until it was sold to the City of Baltimore in 1927. The Blue Star Museum museum is operated by a nonprofit organiza- tion. As a Blue Star Museum, the Star Spangled Banner Flag House offers free admission to Soldiers and immediate family members Exhibits during the summer months. Visitors can learn more about Pickersgill’s “Military members and their families are life and see artifacts from the in often overlooked as an under-served demo- the permanent exhibit “Family of Flagmak- graphic,” Davis said. “Programs like Blue Star ers: The Women Who Created the Star- Museums address the challenges of being a Spangled Banner,” located in the Maryland military family and are a way for small House Educational Resource Center. organizations like the Flag House to conduct The center also has a temporary exhibit nation-wide outreach in order to give back to called “Flags Across America: the Photogra- our service men and women by welcoming phyof Robert Carley,”which showcases more them to our sites, providing family-friendly than 30 photographs of the U.S. flag depicted activities, and to simply say thank you for all on everything fromtrains to ice cream stands. that they do and sacrifice.” The exhibit will be displayed until the end of this year. About the Star Spangled “Inspired by the terroristattacks of9/11 and the outpouring of community art of the Banner Flag House American flag, Mr. Carley began memori- alizing these often temporary works in The Star Spangled Banner Flag House is COURTESY PHOTO OF THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER FLAG HOUSE located on 844 E. Pratt Street in the Little Italy An aerial view of the Star Spangled Banner Flag House, located in Baltimore’s Little Italy photographs taken in more than 40 states neighborhood. over the span of16 years,” Davis said. neighborhood of Baltimore, near the Inner Another highlight of the museum is the Harbor. The museum is open Tuesday thru Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. For http://www.flaghouse.org or call 410-837- Flag House courtyard, which boasts the Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4p.m. Adocent is available more information visit 1793.