Our Star-Spangled Summer

September 6, 2013 Dear Edwin, We've been talking up "stars" and "spangles" all summer here at the Maryland Historical Society. As our new and enormous Star-Spangled Banner has taken shape, the campus has buzzed with activity, and a simple idea has captured attention worldwide. Place a stitch! Stitch some history! On a steamy July 4th, Baltimore's Mayor brought her daughter to the Fort McHenry parade and placed the first stitch. An idea caught fire, and the ritual continued for over 6 weeks. As our 200-plus devoted volunteer stitchers, all experienced and on a mission, laid stitch after stitch in row after row, folks arrived from far and wide, from every state, from Hong Kong, Siberia, Peru, Sydney and other exotic places around the world. During our two Public Sewing Days in August, over 1,000 participants added their stitches to our flag! Check out the photos from August 3 and August 11 on our Facebook page.

Our Star Spangled Banner Project has received a lot of media attention, including coverage in The Baltimore Sun, USA Today, and TV stations around the country - and word has even spread as far away as China. I want you to keep your eyes out in particular for a story that will air on CBS News Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood on Sunday, September 15 you just might see yourself in it!

From the desk of Burt Kummerow Volume 2 Issue 9

The amazing summer, not soon forgotten, was just the beginning of what will undoubtedly be one of the most important events in our 170 years of making history. Our new flag will fly in many places, our original manuscript of the National Anthem will travel to new audiences, and our prize-winning exhibits and programs will continue to evoke the memory of dramatic events. The Maryland Historical Society is proud to be an essential part of Maryland and Baltimore's Bicentennial. So where's the flag's next stop?

Join Us for Defenders' Day

A view of the Bombardment of Fort McHenry, near Baltimore, by the British fleet, taken from the observatory, under the command of admirals Cochrane & Cockburn, on the morning of the 13th of Sepr. 1814, Bower, J. sc., ca. 1814, MdHS, H89

From Friday, September 13 - Sunday, September 15, What Is Defenders' Day? during the Star-Spangled Banner Defenders' Day Weekend, we will be commemorating the completion of the sewing of Defenders' Day is Baltimore's oldest holiday. It honors the successful defense of the city the flag by taking part in a city-wide celebration. We are partnering with Fort McHenry National Monument and Shrine, the United States Mint, and the U.S. Army to put together a truly unforgettable event. There will be a host of activities throughout Baltimore, including a special ceremony here at The Maryland Historical Society on Friday, September 13 at 1:30 pm.
from British attack and the writing of the National Anthem in 1814. This year we will celebrate Defenders' Day on the weekend of September 13-September 15. The completed flag will be flown at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine on September 14, 2013. The flag will also be used for school programs and other public events in the Bicentennial year of the writing of the national anthem and the defense of the city of Baltimore.

Local school students will sing the National Anthem as the U.S. Army Old Guard Color Guard will fold the flag for transport to Fort McHenry. Ranger Vince Vaise, Fort McHenry Chief of Interpretation, will speak about the Battle Monument, a stop at which the flag will briefly visit on its way to Fort McHenry.

The complete Public Event schedule on September 13 at The Maryland Historical Society is as follows: 1:30 pm: Welcome by Burt Kummerow 1:35 pm Ceremonial transfer of flag for the Defenders' Day celebrations 1:45 pm: Keynote by Ranger Vince Vaise on history and importance of monument and flag 1:55 pm: Singing of Star-Spangled Banner by School and Presentation of the colors 4:00 pm Star-Spangled Banner Flag visits the Battle Monument. Featuring Fort McHenry Guard fife and drum music
Over at Fort McHenry, the celebration will commence at 10 am on Friday, September 13. The newest quarter in the United States Mint's America the Beautiful Quarters Program for 2013 will be launched. It features Fort McHenry and the Star-Spangled Banner and will be available all weekend at the Fort! Visitors can exchange cash for new Fort McHenry quarters in $10 increments (while supplies last), courtesy M&T Bank. There is a $10, one roll minimum and $100, 10 roll maximum. On Saturday, September 14 beginning at 9 am at Fort McHenry, there will be a large living history encampment featuring military drills, cooking demonstrations, musket firing, dress parade, cannon firing and a children's program featuring authors and local historians. Our Must-See Event! And at 6 PM on Saturday, September 14 at Fort McHenry, the recreated Star-Spangled Banner flag will be transported by the U.S. Army Old Guard on a caisson drawn by seven beautiful horses. This is the same horse-drawn caisson used at Arlington National Cemetery, and it's one of the rare

times it has ever left the Cemetery grounds.

The U.S. Army Drill Team will showcase a precision drill followed by a cannon-firing "battle" demonstrating the tactics used to defend Baltimore back in 1814. There will also be a patriotic concert by the U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus performing the "1812 Overture," complete with cannon fire. And, as the sun sets, a symbolic ship-to-shore "bombardment" will commence, with pyrotechnic "bombs bursting in air" over the Fort and cannon thunder replies. The flag will be ceremoniously raised over the fort, to the singing of the National Anthem. A 30-minute large fireworks display will provide the capstone to the evening. You won't want to miss it!

For complete details about Defenders' Day activities at The Maryland Historical Society, see our website: www.mdhs.org/star-spangledbanner-project. And for details about Defenders' Day activities at Fort McHenry, visit: www.nps.gov/fomc See you then!

Image courtesy Office of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

Rare Special Appearance at The Maryland Historical Society

An Evening with James M. McPherson:

"Civil War on Land and by Sea: Abraham Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief"
The Maryland Historical Society proudly welcomes Pulitzerprize winner author and historian Professor James M. McPherson on Thursday, November 14beginning at 4 PM! Dr. McPherson will speak on the subject of The Civil War on Land and by Sea: Abraham Lincoln as Commander-inChief. McPherson will discuss President Lincoln's role as a war leader and commander-in-chief, touching on Lincoln's role in naval war policy. With the film "Lincoln" on many minds, McPherson's analysis of the president's special, even unique, leadership skills during the crisis makes this one of the most eagerly anticipated Maryland Historical Society events of the year. The evening begins at 4 pm with a personal tour with Dr. McPherson of our 'Divided Voices: Maryland In the Civil War" James M. McPherson Gallery. McPherson's lecture and book signing will follow at 6 pm. Light refreshments will be served. The evening will culminate with a dinner at The Maryland Club at 8pm. Seating for the Dinner is limited to 30 people. Dr. McPherson will be signing copies of his newest book, War on the Waters: The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861-1865 (2012). Copies of his book, as well as his other recent publication, Lincoln, Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief by James M. McPherson (Sep 29, 2009), will be available for purchase.

Dr. James M. McPherson is the George Henry Davis '86 Professor of History Emeritus at Princeton University. He has published numerous volumes on the Civil War, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom, Crossroads of Freedom (which was a New York Times bestseller), Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution , and For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War , which won the Lincoln Prize.

Ticket prices for the event are as follows: Lecture and Book Signing Only: Tickets for the Lecture and Book Signing, beginning at 6 pm, are $20 per person for MdHS members and $25 per person for nonmembers. Tickets may be purchased by clicking here or calling 410-685-3750 ext. 377. Dinner, Civil War Gallery Tour, Lecture and Book Signing: Tickets for the Civil War Gallery Tour, Lecture & Book Signing and Dinner at the Maryland Club are $125 per person and may be purchased by clicking here or calling 410-685-3750 ext. 377.
This event is part of the Maryland Historical Society's Maritime Lecture series. Space is extremely limited, so reserve your tickets early before it sells out!

Ocean City: The Great Hurricane of 1933

Two weeks ago, Special Collections Librarians Eben Dennis, Damon Talbot and Digital Imaging Curator Joe Tropea made a serendipitous find. While working on an unrelated patron request, Eben, Damon and Joe stumbled across a film entitled Ocean City Hurricane, 1933 in our rich a/v collection. Not only does this film contain great before and after footage of the storm, it also captures the creation of the inlet which ended up defining modern day Ocean City, only hours after it tore from the bay across the island. Eben, Damon and Joe initially suspected the footage was somehow affiliated with Stark Films, a bygone local production house. The addition of title cards to the homemade footage suggested a professional touch and, since MdHS holds a number of the company's reels, it seemed a reasonable guess. We have since learned from newly found provenance records that the film was shot by S. Watts Smyth of St. Louis, Missouri, who may have had editing experience or at least access to a production house. According to Bunny Connell, daughter of S. Watts Smyth, the family "spent each summer in Ocean City from 1926-'33." Until 1933, the family made the more than 900-mile journey by train from St. Louis. However that August, they made the 15-hour drive in their new Cadillac LaSalle. This was the Smyth's last summer spent in Ocean City before moving to Wyoming. Connell entrusted the film to MdHS in 1987. This clip has been edited down to two minutes from the 11-minute original. To view the complete film or for more information about using or licensing it, please contactspecialcollections@mdhs.org If you'd like to read some background about the storm check out the references on the Library's Underbelly blog, or read the following articlefrom the Baltimore Sun. Enjoy!

Other Fall Events at The Maryland Historical Society The Psychology of Elizabeth Patterson: A Special Curator's Tour
On Thursday, September, 19 Chief Curator Alexandra Deutsch presents a special tour of our Woman of Two Worlds: Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte and Her Quest for an Imperial Legacy exhibition - this time, through the lens of a psychologist. This special tour will focus on Elizabeth's letters and marginalia, her personal struggles as a strong-willed woman during the 19th century, and her strained relationship with her father, William Patterson. Tour times are at 6:00 and 7:00 PM. Tickets are FREE for members and $25 for nonmembers. Space is limited, so please call 410-685-3750 ext. 377, emailevents@mdhs.org, or register online by clicking here. Light refreshments will be served.

Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, Franois Josephe Kinsoen, circa 1817, Maryland Historical Society, Gift of Mrs. Charles Joseph Bonaparte, xx.5.72

Food Truck Gathering September 26 at MdHS!