I'm embarrassed to admit that I may not have been able to identify the significance of Fort McHenry before I actually visited it. I am intrigued by the fact that it's not just a national monument, but also a historic shrine. I have always associated shrines with religious sites. Maybe it was designated a shrine because it is a battlefield site, or is it because of its connection to the national anthem? It is the only site in the National Park Service to have both designations.
However, what makes this Fort especially famous is this:
Before we actually went to the fort, we spent some time in the visitor center. I like this view of the star-spangled banner
We learned all about the origin of our National Anthem:
. . . and we saw Key's original hand-written draft of the lyrics.:
