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BALTIMORE (June 12) – On June 13, more than 40 tall ships and naval vessels arrive in Baltimore as Maryland launches its three-year War of 1812 bicentennial commemoration with Star-Spangled Sailabration, the largest maritime festival Baltimore has ever hosted. The ships leave and Sailabration ends on June 19, yet tributes to the bicentennial continue.
"Our War of 1812 commemoration period has two spectacular bookend events," says Bill Pencek, executive director of the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission and assistant secretary for the Maryland Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts. "Sailabration is the opening act. Then, in September 2014, Maryland celebrates the 200-year anniversary of the Battle of Baltimore and the writing of the National Anthem."
"Beyond Sailabration, Maryland's residents and visitors have plenty of options for experiencing the War of 1812 legacy at great attractions and destinations throughout the state," says Margot Amelia, executive director of the Maryland Office of Tourism. "St. Michaels, Solomons, Havre de Grace and Fell's Point, for instance, are four lively, scenic dockside communities – with a number of galleries, shops and restaurants – that have strong connections to the 1812 era and The Star-Spangled Banner."
Both St. Michaels and Fell's Point were ship-building centers during the war. Many of the topsail schooners, which became privateer vessels, were built there. (See the Pride of Baltimore II entry below.) Fell's Point is also about a mile from the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House – where Mary Pickersgill lived and made the over-sized U.S. flag that was raised above Fort McHenry following the Battle of Baltimore.
All of these locations are along the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail – water and land routes that trace the British invasion of the Chesapeake region during the War of 1812. Because the British sailed up the Chesapeake Bay, and the Potomac and Patuxent rivers, much of the trail is tied to those waterways. One of the land routes traces the British advance from the upper Patuxent River to Bladensburg and then to Washington, D.C., where the invaders burned the Capitol and White House. A second land route recalls the British attack on Baltimore, from North Point to Fort McHenry.
The trail also includes the Star-Spangled Geotrail – a string of 35 sites in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. – that tells the story of the War of 1812 through a series of hidden caches or containers. When geocachers find these caches, using hand-held GPS devices, they have arrived at sites that relate to events, places and historical figures of the war. It's much like a high-tech treasure hunt. This multi-state program is supported by Chesapeake Conservancy, Maryland Geocaching Society and the National Park Service (NPS).
As manager of the Star-Spangled Banner Trail, NPS encourages preservation and development projects that provide visitors with ways to learn about the war, while affording recreational outlets. Trail visitors can find five National Historic Landmarks, 37 National Register properties and 39 Chesapeake Bay Gateways sites. Chesapeake Gateways and Water Trails Network, also administered by NPS, is a collection of recreational water trails, parks, museums and wildlife refuges across the Chesapeake Bay region that intersects points along the Star-Spangled Banner Trail.
Here is a sampling of places in Maryland's five regions that reveal the War of 1812's legacy in the state. Many offer related exhibitions and events. Numerous local organizations are also planning exhibitions and activities to commemorate War of 1812 events that occurred in their areas.
Western Maryland
- Miller House, Hagerstown (Washington County) – A War of 1812 Maryland militia cavalry jacket – owned by Sgt. Jacob Huyett – is one of the items on display at this Washington County Historical Society museum. Sgt. Huyett was a member of Hagerstown Blues, a cavalry unit that was part of the Maryland Light Dragoons. The Dragoons under Lt. Col. Frisby Tilghman saw action at the Battle of North Point during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814.
- Mount Aetna Furnace Site, Mount Aetna (Washington County) – Also called Antietam Furnace, this 15,000-acre site was the location of two iron furnaces. During the war, Mount Aetna Furnace produced artillery for the Chesapeake Flotilla. At least five cannons made here survive. One is at the Boonsboro Museum, another is at Shafer Park in Boonsboro and a third is on loan at the Hager Museum. Two others are on property next to the furnace site.
Capital Region
- Bladensburg Waterfront Park (Prince George's County) – On Aug. 24, 1814, British forces crossed the Anacostia River (near the present site of the park) – en route to Washington, D.C. – and attacked the first line of American defenses during the Battle of Bladensburg. The park is part of an 1812 walking tour. To honor the American forces in that battle, current plans call for a monument with sculpted figures (one is a wounded Commodore Joshua Barney, an American war hero) cast in bronze to be installed in nearby Bladensburg Balloon Park. On a limestone base, will be the words: "Undaunted in Battle."
- Francis Scott Key Monument, Frederick (Frederick County) – Located by the main entrance of Mount Olivet Cemetery, the monument – a cylindrical granite pedestal with a bronze statue of Key atop it – stands over the gravesites of The Star-Spangled Banner composer and his wife, Mary Tayloe Lloyd Key. It was dedicated in 1898. The $25,000 cost of the monument was paid for by contributions from school children and others around the country, and $5,000 from the state of Maryland.
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