Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine is in Baltimore. During the War of 1812, British warships bombarded Fort McHenry, but they could not break its defenses. Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer and writer of verse, witnessed the battle from a ship nearby. The experience inspired him to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The fort was named for James McHenry, a signer of the United States Constitution from Maryland. The fort became a national park in 1925 and was designated a national monument in 1939. For area, see National Park System (table: National monuments) .
