1776-1857
In the summer of 1813 Baltimore was preparing to defend itself against another invasion by the British, a "Second War of Independence." Baltimore's most prominent flag-maker at that time was a widow named Mary Young Pickersgill. In the early summer of 1813, Major George Armistead, Commandant of Fort McHenry, requested a large ensign be flown over the fort as "a symbol of defiance." Mrs. Pickersgill was asked to make such an ensign; a 15-star, 15-stripe, 30 x 42 foot flag. This banner became the inspiration behind the writing of our national anthem. Mary Pickersgill was considered to be a woman of charm and culture, vivacious and public-spirited. She not only continued to be listed as "a maker of ships colours and signals," but as a woman quite sympathetic to the plight of deserted wives, widows, and orphans of war veterans. A group of ladies formed an association to find work for these women, and this group was known as "the impartial female humane society." Mary Pickersgill became the group's president in 1850 and served in this capacity until her death October 4, 1857. During her presidency the aged women's home at Franklin Square was founded and built. In 1958 the home moved to Towson, north of Baltimore, and changed the name to "Pickersgill." The home continues to care for aged women and men. Mary Young Pickersgill is buried here in Loudon Park in section AA near the Frederick Avenue entrance.| HM Number | HM1OCG |
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| Tags | |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Thursday, October 1st, 2015 at 9:03am PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 18S E 354491 N 4348195 |
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| Decimal Degrees | 39.27090000, -76.68680000 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 39° 16.254', W 76° 41.208' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 39° 16' 15.24" N, 76° 41' 12.48" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 410, 443 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 3900-3998 MD-372, Baltimore MD 21229, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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