Existing comment:
The 1814 cross brace -- lost and found:
Where did the Star-Spangled Banner fly in 1814? For a long time, the answer was unclear. Images of the 1814 fort give hints but not definite answer. An 1803 map shows the flagpole was near the Sally Port, but an 1839 map places it on one of the points of "bastions" overlooking the water.
In 1958 archeologists explored the area around the Sally Port, using the 1803 map for guidance. They discovered two large timbers, fitted into the shape of a cross with a large rectangular hole in the center, several feet underground. This cross brace was designed to keep the flagpole from tipping over in the wind.
This rediscovery of the cross brace is an excellent example of how archeology and documentary history can be combined to learn about the past.
A physical link to the Star-Spangled Banner:
These oak timbers are the last pieces of the 1814 flagpole that remain here at the fort. The original flag can be seen in Washington, DC, at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. The Maryland Historical Society owns Francis Scott Key's original manuscript. |