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Fort McHenry (U.S.)

Historical

by Hugh Pickrel

Description of the flag
History of the flag at Fort McHenry
"V"

See also:

Description of the flag

The 15 star and 15 stripe flag is flown day and night at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, a national park maintained by the U.S. government. This is the site of the Battle in 1814 that gave birth to the national Anthem of the U.S. It is lighted at night as is the current flag over the capital.
William M. Grimes-Wyatt and Nick Artimovich, 1996

The American Flag that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814 served as the focal point of Francis Scott Key's poetic efforts. The flag is currently in the possession of the Smithsonian Museum of American History. The flag has 15 stars and 15 stripes. On the 10th stripe from the top in the approximate center is what appears to be an inverted "V". It might simply be an attempt to repair a tear.
Hugh Pickrel

Proportions: most of mine are based on a photograph of the actual flag in the Smithsonian collection (I have omitted the inverted V) or from the receipt to the flag maker, which gives the dimensions as 30' x 42 3/4'.

Stars Orientation: in the early days of the republic (pre-Civil War) it seems to have been fairly common to arrange the stars like this, in alternating columns oriented horizontally, rather than vertically as