America's flag: the flag known today as the Star-Spangled Banner was made in August 1813 by Mary Pickersgill, a professional flag-maker in Baltimore, Md., and her 13-year-old daughter, Caroline

Soldiers Magazine, June, 2004

Made of wool bunting, the 30-by-42-foot garrison flag weighed 50 pounds, cost $405.90 and was commissioned by LTC George Armistead to fly over Fort McHenry, Md. It was flown at the fort during the British bombardment on Sept. 13 and 14, 1814.

At 7 a.m. on Sept. 14, Francis Scott Key, a Washington lawyer who had gone to the British fleet to obtain the release of a civilian prisoner and had been detained on one of the ships, saw the flag "by the dawn's early light," flying over the fort.

The sight inspired Key to write the patriotic and defiant words of a poem that became a rallying cry for Americans who had fought their first war as a united nation. Key set the poem to the music of a tune called "To Anacreon in Heaven." It gradually gained the status of a national anthem, although it wasn't officially given that designation by Congress until 1931.

Armistead acquired the flag soon after the battle, and after his death, in 1818, it passed to his widow, Louisa Armistead.

Over the years, the flag continued to pass from family member to family member--from Armistead's widow to her daughter and grandson. The latter, Eben Appleton, loaned the flag to the Smithsonian Institution in 1907 so it could be displayed "along with the relics of Washington and Grant." And in 1912, he converted the loan to a gift, so the flag could belong "to that institution in the country where it could be conveniently seen by the public and where it would be well cared for."

Today, through the Star-Spangled Banner Preservation Project, conservators are working to preserve America's symbol of freedom for future generations.

Preserving the Flag

"PRESERVING the 'Star-Spangled Banner' has been a priority for the Smithsonian Institution since we took custody of it," said Marc Pachter, acting director of the museum. "The museum began a flag-conservation project to guarantee that generations of Americans will continue to be inspired by it."

The flag is undergoing a multi-year conservation treatment at the museum intended to clean and stabilize the flag and to preserve it for future generations. The museum is not restoring the flag to look like new.

"Visitors have told us over and over that they are not disappointed at seeing the tattered condition of the flag; rather, they are awed that it has survived," said project curator Marilyn Zoidis. "They tell us that the holes and the tears show that this is the real Star-Spangled Banner, an old flag full of history that would be lost if restored to look like new."

The linen backing and approximately 1.7 million stitches that attached it to the flag have been removed, revealing the extent of the damage and fragility of the aging flag.

Conservators have found some completely threadbare areas, especially in the broad white stripes.

The $18 million flag-conservation project--which includes the cost of a state-of-the-art laboratory, research studies and educational outreach--is taking place in public view within a specially designed lab that features a 50-foot, floor-to-ceiling glass wall, through which visitors can follow the process. A companion exhibition, titled "Preserving the Star-Spangled Banner: the Flag that Inspired the National Anthem," provides information about the preservation process and tells the history of the flag. More than 7 million people have seen the flag since the lab opened on May 27, 1999.

The location for display of the conserved flag has yet to be determined.

This article was provided by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History Public Affairs Office. Quick Facts About the "Star-Spangled Banner"

* Made in 1813 by Mary Pickersgill of Baltimore and her 13-year-old daughter.

* Commissioned to be flown at Fort McHenry in !he Baltimore Harbor, in Maryland.

* 30-by-34 feet, close to three stories high, weighs about 50 pounds.

* 15 stripes and 15 stars, as mandated by Congress in 1794.

* Massive size was typical of garrison flags used at forts in the 19th century. They were flown from tall poles so they could be seen from great distances.

* A red "V" on one of the white stripes was probably the beginning of the letter "A" for Armistead, the name of the commander at Fort McHenry.

* Pieces of the flag were removed before it came to the Smithsonian. It's missing about eight feet from its bottom edge.

--Smithsonian National Museum of American History Public Affairs Office

Photos by MSG Richard Puckett