The Flag House & Star-Spangled Banner Museum

During the War of 1812, Francis Scott Keys was inspired by the sight of an enormous American flag flying over Fort McHenry. As a result, he wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the national anthem of the United States of America. That flag, which is now preserved and displayed in the Smithsonian, has an even more interesting past, and in 1827, the Flag House & Star-Spangled Banner Museum was founded to honor the flag and its story. In fact, the Flag House was the home of Mary Pickersgill, who made that inspiring flag.