Cultural Landscape Report for Fort McHenry

Davison, Mark; Foulds, H Eliot

Constructed between 1798 and 1800, Fort McHenry is a bastioned pentagon fort built to defend the Baltimore Harbor. In the War of 1812, the Fort withstood British bombardment during the Battle of Baltimore, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write The Star Spangled Banner, national anthem of the United States. The Fort would later serve as a military prison during the Civil War, army hospital in World War I, and Coast Guard base in World War II. This CLR for Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine comprises the initial volume of a CLR for this significant landscape containing three primary sections; the first being a narration of developmental landscape history, the second an inventory and assessment of existing conditions, and the third an analytical examination of the landscape and its features according to National Register of Historic Places criteria and definitions. At some future date, a subsequent volume of this CLR may be funded to prepare detailed treatment recommendations, however such recommendations are not within the scope of the current project. The site history component of this project was prepared utilizing research limited to sources found in the park archives, local historical organizations, the NPS Denver Service Center Technical Information Center and the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The level of investigation pursued in preparation of the site history has been “thorough”, according to definitions found in A Guide to Cultural Landscape Reports: Contents, Processes, and Techniques. Research was conducted between August and December of 2003, and subsequently synthesized into a narrative report supplemented with historical period plans and other graphics. The preparation of historic period plans has made us of the park’s extensive geographic information system (GIS) database. As a by-product of developing period plans for this report, Fort McHenry’s existing GIS database has been augmented, through the input and geo-referencing of several historic plans and drawings that were digitized in a raster-based format. Documentation of existing landscape conditions is accomplished through text, photographs, and graphic plans. Plan documentation is derived from existing paper and electronically stored surveys and maps available at the park. Fort McHenry’s structures are referenced to the park’s List of Classified Structures (LCS). Emphasis is placed on documenting landscape conditions. Contemporary site functions, visitor services, interpretation, park operations, and maintenance are described to the degree they might potentially influence treatment of the landscape. Analysis and evaluation of the Fort McHenry landscape draws information found within the site history and existing conditions sections to identify the landscape characteristics and associated features that contribute to the historical significance of Fort McHenry. The analysis will be based on the periods and areas of historical significance outlined in Fort McHenry’s excellent National Register documentation, completed in 1999. This document considers four alternatives including one "No Build" alternative and three "Build" alternatives. All of the actions proposed would be concentrated outside of the Fort's 1814 reservation boundary to avoid impacting resources critical to the park's mission.

Cultural Landscape Report for Fort McHenry

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