Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
The birthplace of the U.S. national anthem, a Baltimore fort that withstood a bombardment.
Fort McHenry is a star-shaped fort that guarded the harbor of Baltimore in the state of Maryland. Its formal name is Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, and it is the place where one very symbolic scene in American history unfolded.
The reverse of the coin depicts Fort McHenry under bombardment. Capturing the tense moment as shells rain down over the fort, it vividly conveys the night of the fierce battle that took place here.
During the War of 1812, this fort withstood the enemy’s furious bombardment that continued through the night. The next morning, seeing the Star-Spangled Banner still flying over the fort, Francis Scott Key was so moved that he wrote a poem, and that poem later became the U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The bombardment scene on the reverse honors that very historic night.
This fort was designated as a national monument on March 3, 1925, and began to be protected. Beyond the win or loss of a battle, it holds special meaning as the place where a nation’s song was born.
This coin in the America the Beautiful series quietly reminds us where the U.S. national anthem, which still rings out at stadiums and schools today, first began.