Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland

Today we headed to Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland. Fort McHenry is best known for its role in the War of 1812 when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in the Chesapeake Bay. It was during this famous battle of the fort that Francis Scott Key was inspired to write "The Star-Spangled Banner", the poem that would eventually be set to music and become the national anthem of the United States. We got home in the early evening and Buzz took the kids swimming. Of course, this was the highlight of the entire trip for them! Here are some pictures from our trip to the Fort.

Hailey appeases her uncle by trying on a hat and standing for a picture.

The drummer boys entertain us on our tour.

These girls were baking bread in an outdoor oven. Cole wanted to jump in and give advice that he learned during his scout training!

A shot of some of the cannons placed around the fort.

Another shot of the cannon, with the center of the fort in the background.

Here you can see the 15-star, 15-stripe "Star-Spangled Banner" flag just like the one that flew over the fort during the battle. The flag measures 30 feet by 42 feet and was designed by the commander of Fort McHenry who wanted "a flag so large that the British would have no difficulty seeing it from a distance". I guess that Francis Scott Key saw it too!

Jack gets his head stuck in the barrel of a cannon and the cousins and brother give him some help. Kate decided not to hurry to his rescue.

Here is a shot of the "rescue team" after Jack gets his head unstuck.

Here is a photos of some of the barracks located in the center of the fort.

A typical bunk-room with the soldiers gear on display.

The soldiers arrive to fire the cannon into Chesapeake Bay.

Loading a 1/3 powder charge (without a cannon ball of course) for the display firing of an authentic cannon.

Check out a video that Teresa took of the firing.

Since they fired it twice, I got a shot of the cannon firing from the other side of the embankment. It was sort of neat to be on this side, since you got to hear the echo of the cannon bounce off the cement factory located across the Bay. It took at least to the count of five before the sound reached back to this side of the water.

A parting shot of Nathan as we head into Quizno's for a late lunch.