Fell's Point National Register Historic District and Ft. McHenry National Monument

A "nest of pirates"—that's what the British admiralty once dubbed Baltimore's historic Fell's Point, then one of the most important shipbuilding centers in the nation and the home port of courageous privateers who sailed speed Chesapeake Bay pilot boat schooners, to assure American freedom on the seas.

Privateers had government licenses called "Letters of Marque and Reprisal," authorizing the capture of enemy merchant ships as "prizes" for their owners. These privately-owned, armed schooners ran blockades, harassed British convoys, and captured merchant ships, actions that caused great frustration and financial loss.

122 Fell's Point privateers captured more than 500 British ships, wrought havoc on British trade, and secured millions of dollars in prizes. Their audacity and success caused the British to attack the city in 1814, only to be turned away at the Battle of Baltimore and Fort McHenry.

"The Star-Spangled Banner"Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine is home to two of America's most powerful symbols-the National Anthem and the American Flag. It was here in 1814, at the height of the War of 1812, that this embattled garrison held off a massive bombardment and attempted invasion by a British naval fleet—-and defended a greater prize-Baltimore

Francis Scott Key, who witnessed the attack, was so overjoyed to see the flag still flying "by the dawn's early light" that he wrote the "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Hop on a water taxi and visit the Fort to take part in the twice-a-day Flag Change, where you can help fold or hoist the flag right where the original flagpole stood. As you stand on the ramparts of the Fort looking down toward the Bay, you stand at the crossroads of history.

Chesapeake Connection
For the Chesapeake Bay's ship owners and their crews, privateering was a risky business, but also lucrative. Owners fronted as much as $40,000 ($643,000 in today's dollars) to build and outfit a privateer. However, if a privateer captured several enemy vessels on a single voyage, the return could be as much as five times that initial investment.

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Show me all markers in:  Baltimore, MD  |  21231  |  Maryland  |  United States of America

Fells Point
On Thursday, September 18, 2003
Fells Point
In This Building From 1992 - 1999
National Bohemian Beer
"Baltimore must be tamed..."
War in the Chesapeake
On September 22 of 2007...
How Great Thou Art
The Robert Long House

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