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Home of the Brave
"Then did I remember that there were gathered around that banner, among its defenders, men who had heard and answered the call of their country – from these mountain sides, from this beautiful valley, and from this fair city of my native County."
- -- Francis Scott Key, August 6, 1834, Excerpt from a speech describing his writing of the "Star-Spangled Banner" given during a celebratory dinner on the Frederick Courthouse lawn
Since its unveiling in 1898, hundreds of dignitaries and thousands of tourists have visited the grave of Francis Scott Key. In the shadow of the monument, linger over 100 known soldiers of the war that led to Key's rise to meteoric fame.
Frederick's Mount Olivet Cemetery holds the second highest concentration of War of 1812 veterans in the state of Maryland, behind Baltimore's Greenmount Cemetery. One of these is Francis Scott Key, himself. Although no battles or skirmishes occurred here in Frederick County, the citizenry proudly took up arms in this second War of Independence in an effort to keep this area, and surrounding region, safe and secure.
Volunteer soldiers helped to form local militia units. Many of these men would muster and drill at nearby Frederick (Hessian) Barracks, located on the current-day campus of Maryland School for the Deaf. These militiamen were sent east to help defend Annapolis and Baltimore from enemy attack.
During the 2012-2014 bicentennial observance and statewide commemoration of this conflict, the graves of soldiers of this conflict were located, researched and decorated with the placement of special granite markers. |