1968 6c Historic American Flags: Fort McHenry

Issue Date:  July 4, 1968

City:  Pittsburgh, PA
Quantity:  228,040,000

Printed By:  Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Printing Method:  Giori Press

Perforations: 11

Color:  Dark blue and red

This is the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner" in 1814.  The flag flew over Fort McHenry, which guarded Baltimore, Maryland’s harbor, during a War of 1812 British naval bombardment.  After a night of ferocious fighting, Key found our "flag was still there."  The original Fort McHenry flag now hangs in the Smithsonian Institution.

Fort McHenry was named for James McHenry, the representative from Maryland who signed the U.S. Constitution.  In 1939, it was made the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine.