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War of 1812 exhibit opens June 10 in Baltimore

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Published on Sunday, 20 May 2012 20:00

Written by Karen Gaspers

The largest bicentennial exhibit in Maryland, "In Full Glory Reflected, Maryland During the War of 1812," will be unveiled on June 10, 2012, at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore.

War of 1812 in Maryland

In four separate galleries filling an entire floor of the museum, visitors will explore the growth of Baltimore as a boomtown, built on shipbuilding and worldwide trade. Next, they can visit a tavern, the information nerve center of the young republic. Following the drift into a war over issues of trade, the conflict with Britain goes from the high seas to the shores of the Chesapeake. An 1814 invasion puts Maryland to the test but culminates with victory in Baltimore. The iconic Maryland Historical Society artifact, the original Star Spangled Banner manuscript, penned by Francis Scott Key soon after the battle that immortalized Ft. Mc Henry and its garrison flag, will be featured, along with a gallery devoted to the defenders of Baltimore.

Museum goers will get to see the Baltimore 1814 Defenders, Maryland's own War of 1812 "Rock Stars." Rembrandt Peale's stunning portraits of five defenders were commissioned by the City of Baltimore almost immediately after the war ended in 1815. Viewers will get to see Major General Samuel Smith, Lt. Col. George Armistead, Brigadier General John Stricker, Congressman Isaac McKim and Commodore Joshua Barney.

Visitors also will have the privilege of seeing many treasures donated to the society during its 168 year history. One of the earliest printed broadsides of the Star Spangled Banner song, complete with its famous typo, will be on view. Vivid paintings by Battle of Baltimore veteran Thomas Ruckle and the iconic "Bombardment of Ft. McHenry" by Alfred Jacob Miller will flank the Star Spangled Banner document. The humble "Etting Cup" bears the etched signatures of several of the 1812 "Rock Stars." The cup was a treasured part of 1812 veterans' reunions for many decades in the 19th century.

The exhibition will be featured for the three years of the 1812 Bicentennial at the Maryland Historical Society, 201 W. Monument St., in Baltimore's historic Mt. Vernon neighborhood. It will be open to the public Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays 12-5 p.m.

For more information, go to mdhs.org.

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