Francis Scott Key and his memorial buoy

There are certain stops on our trip that have brought about a chill, a thrill and or an emotional response of some type. Passing under the Francis Scott Key bridge into Baltimore Harbor with the outline of the city on the right and Fort McHenry on the left is one of those exciting times. Just as you pass under the bridge a buoy bobs in the water ahead but it is starkly different from any other. The stripes, stars and colors of our beloved flag are those of the buoy.  This buoy is not an entrance buoy nor does it mark a shoal or rock. It marks the spot where in 1814 Francis Scott Key stood on the bow of a ship and watched as the British bombarded the Fort throughout the night during the war of 1812. As dawn broke he saw that through all the smoke the American Flag was still there. This inspired him to write a poem titled "The Defense of Fort McHenry". Printed in newspapers and eventually set to the music of a popular English drinking tune called :To Anacreon in Heaven", composed by john Strafford Smith.  People began referring to the son as "The Star-Spangled Banner.  President Woodrow Wilson announced that it should be played at all official  events. In 1931 his poem put to music became our National Anthem.