Experience War History at Fort McHenry

Fort McHenry is a great place to visit. This is one of the many National Parks with a Junior Ranger Program.

Most people do not know there is such a great part of history that is located near Baltimore. It has been used during several wars. It was first used as a fort during the War of 1812. During the Civil War it was used as a prison. In World War I, it was used as a hospital.  During War War II, it was a Coast Guard Base.  Today, we are lucky that it is still around for everyone to visit and see what things were like during these wars.

You can tour the jail cells and the fort where they hid. You can also go underground. 

This is where the really big American flag flew during the War of 1812. It was the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. You can see the flag that flew 200 years ago at the National Museum of America History on the National Mall in Washington DC.

The Star Spangled Banner is celebrating its 200 year anniversary this year, with many events to be held at Fort McHenry. To celebrate the anniversary, there are many fun events that are planned. You can visit the Star-Spangled 200 website.

This is a really amazing place to visit. You probably did not know there was a fort with a lot of history that we learn about in school, so close to where we live. 

Note: This article is part of a series of Caring Kids Reporter articles about our .