Jun 30, 2017

Photos and text by Kim Hairston

: The garrison flag designed by Mary Pickersgill is reflected in the Great Flag Window of the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House museum. An image of Pickersgill is seen next to the lower star. The two-story window is the size of the garrison flag Pickersgill and a few women stitched for Major George Armistead, the commander of Fort McHenry. The flag was raised the morning the British ships retreated after the Battle of Baltimore. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: A mural over on W. North and Woodbrook Avenues over Phaze Two Barber Shop shows the likeness of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a young man wearing in a flag shirt. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: The gravesite of Mary Pickersgill is decorated with American flags. Pickersgill designed the 30 by 42 foot garrison flag that flew over Fort McHenry the morning after the Battle for Baltimore in 1814. It was that flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that would become the National Anthem. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: Daniel Kang, 3 1/2, and his father, Frank Kang, of Rockville, take part in the morning flag change at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. On this day it is a 1861 Civil War era flag they will raise. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: Helen Bianca hangs an American flag outside of her home on Latrobe Park Terrace. Most of her neighbors in her Locust Point street display them. Bianca says “Since 911 they’ve never really gone down.” She brought her flag back out after wind and rain the night before. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: A faded and tattered American flag hangs from a window in the 2300 block of Druid Hill Avenue. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: The War of 1812 bicentennial license plates were standard issue for Maryland drivers for six years. The images of the American flag, Fort McHenry and bomb blasts were replaced last year with with a depiction of the Maryland flag. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: Several American flags are displayed outside a rowhouse in the 1300 block of Hull Street. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: The flags of Norway, the United States of America and the United State Navy share a window in a home in the 1400 block of Hull Street with solar dancing toys, lighthouses and other items. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: The strawberry moon backlights the flag of the United States of America atop the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: Two figures holding American flags and dressed in patriotic outfits hold seats on Frederick Road in advance of the 4th of July parade in Catonsville (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: The American flag and Liberty Bell are among the national and local images painted on the side of a warehouse in Curtis Bay. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: The words and music to The Star Spangled Banner are on a monument near veterans gardens at Loudon Park Cemetery. The Flag of the United States of America and POW MIA flags fly nearby. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: A bench painted in an American flag motif marks a spot along Frederick Road in advance of the 4th of July parade in Catonsville. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: An American flag and a pink flamingo share a flower pot outside a home on Hull Street. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: A light pole in the 1400 block of Cooksie Street is painted red, white and blue. Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: The gravesite of Mary Pickersgill is decorated with American flags. Pickersgill designed the 30 by 42 foot garrison flag that flew over Fort McHenry the morning after the Battle for Baltimore in 1814. It was that flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that would become the National Anthem. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: An American flag is seen in a detail of a mural by street artist Justin Nethercut, who goes by the name Nether. On right, is an image of Freddie Gray and, on left, his family and friends. The three panel mural, on the corner of Mount and Presbury Streets, is near where Gray was arrested. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: The Great Flag Window of the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House museum is the size of the garrison flag designed by Mary Pickersgill for Fort McHenry. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: A folded flag is part of a display designed by Marco Minnie, a parishioner at St.Leo’s and a member of Knights of Columbus St. Vincent Pallotti Council. It honors military veterans from Little Italy. The display is updated each Memorial Day. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: The Star-Spangled Banner flies in the courtyard of the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House. The house is where Mary Pickersgill designed the garrison flag for Fort McHenry. Pickersgill and a few women stitched the flag which would inspire the National Anthem. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

: Caution tape strung between two American flags marks a spot along Frederick Road in advance of the 4th of July parade in Catonsville. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

While the stars and stripes will be in abundance this 4th of July, the flag of the United States of America and flag inspired images are part of our daily landscape. In Baltimore, Mary Pickersgill’s garrison flag flying over Ft. McHenry after the 1814 bombardment inspired the poem that became our national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner. The flag may mean different things to different people but it is perhaps the one symbol more than any other that defines us as Americans.

Celebrating the Stars and Stripes

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