Mary Pickersgill and the Star-Spangled Banner tells the story of how a young widow in the summer of 1813 made two large flags for Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The young United States was at war with Great Britain, and Fort McHenry prepared for an attack from the British. All was ready at the fort except for a proper set of flags. George Armistead, commander at Fort McHenry, needed the hand sewn flags in a hurry giving Mary Pickersgill just six weeks to produce them. This book will explain how Mary Pickersgill learned to make flags, where she obtained the four hundred yards of fabric, woven only in England, to make the flag, how she organized a small work force of young women, including a free African-American indentured servant, to sew the flags and where she found a workplace to make such large flags. Surprisingly, Mary Pickersgill did not consider sewing the Star-Spangled Banner the greatest accomplishment of her life. Under her leadership, a Baltimore charitable organization helped poor widows find work to support their families. The organization raised the funds to build the Home for Aged Widows that opened with great publicity and fanfare six years before Mary Pickersgill died. The Pickersgill Retirement Home in Towson has its roots in Mary Pickersgill's crowning achievement of her lifetime. The stirring history of Mary Pickersgill's family is included in the book and helps explain Mary Pickersgill's drive and determination to produce the flags for Fort McHenry when the city of Baltimore was under imminent attack. The book also describes how the Star-Spangled Banner became the most important object in the Smithsonian's vast collection. In addition, the book recounts the history of the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Association that preserved the little house on the corner of Pratt and Albemarle Streets as a museum to honor Mary Pickersgill's legacy.

Based on a self-published typographic notebook first produced in 1959; this reproduction includes thoughts by influential designers such as George Lois and April Greiman on the lasting impact of this type primer.

At a time when the U.S. flag is both a source of both pride and controversy, this volume provides the first encyclopedic A-to-Z treatment of the U.S. flag in American history, culture, and law. This title is a comprehensive resource for understanding all aspects of the American flag and its relationship to the American people. The encyclopedia provides a thorough historical examination of key developments in the flag's design as well as laws and court decisions related to the flag and the First Amendment. In relation to the flag's history, it also discusses evolving public attitudes about its importance as a national symbol. The encyclopedia contains illuminating scholarly essays on presentations of the flag in American politics, the military, and popular culture including art, music, and journalism. Additionally, these essays address important rules of flag etiquette and modern controversies related to them, from flag-burning to refusing to stand during the playing of the U.S. National Anthem.

Tells the stories behind Baltimore's monuments. From the twentieth-century sculpture of the Inner Harbor's Baltimore Renaissance to the nineteenth-century splendor of Mount Vernon Place, this work invites us to see Baltimore in a fresh perspective.

" In September, 2014, Baltimore and the United States will mark the bicentennial of the event that inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner." But Francis Scott Key's poem, set to a British drinking song, has not always been our anthem, nor even especially popular. Aiming at a broad readership, Ferris examines the history of the song through the generations that followed the War of 1812, the kinds of Americans who rallied behind the song, and the successful lobbying effort that in 1933 convinced Congress to adopt the music and four stanzas as our official national anthem. Since then many citizens have called for its replacement with something less warlike; people quarrel over its apparent militarism and also difficulty level. Politically, Ferris finds, the song has an interesting and somewhat tortured story. Are we the only nation on earth with a controversial national anthem?"--Provided by publisher.

"An updated version of a guide to (Maryland) . . . prepared by the Works Progress Administration . . . (last updated in 1976). Detailed historical information accompanies driving and walking tours throughout the state".--"Baltimore Magazine". 192 illustrations, including archival and new photos.