Presented by the Primary School, Grades 1-2
Mrs. Gorrell's Primary School class shared a patriotic thought and taught us all about our country's beautiful flag and The Star Spangled banner.
In 1813 the commander of Fort McHenry asked for a flag so big that “the British have no trouble seeing it from a distance.” He asked Mary Pickersgill to make the flag for him.
Her thirteen year old daughter, Caroline, helped her. She used 400 yards of fine wool.
They cut 15 stars that were two feet across. There were 8 red stripes and 7 white stripes. The stripes were each 2 feet wide. When it was finished it measured 30 feet by 42 feet and cost $405.90.
If it were hanging in this Sanctuary it would stretch across from one side wall to the other, and from the very top stair all the way to the back wall.
During this time Francis Scott Key was a lawyer in Georgetown, just a few miles from Washington D.C. He and his wife, Mary, had 6 sons and 5 daughters.
In 1814, the British captured Washington and set the Capitol on fire. President James Madison and his wife Dolley had to leave the White House and run to a safer place.
Dolley Madison earned lasting fame for her courage when she remained in the White House long enough to save the cabinet papers and the life-size portrait of George Washington from the advancing British soldiers.
After this attack, the Americans knew that Baltimore would be attacked next. The British had captured Mr. Key’s friend. His name was William Beanes and he was a doctor.
Key and another man wanted to save Dr. Beanes’ life. They told the British the doctor had helped to save some of their soldiers who had been wounded. They agreed to free him, but they wouldn’t let them leave because the three men had overheard plans for the attack.
They were placed under guard on a British ship. It was from this ship Francis Scott Key watched the bombing of Fort McHenry. There was a lot of smoke and haze, but when daylight came, he could see the flag was still waving.
He was so inspired he began to write a poem on the back of a letter he had in his pocket. He later finished the poem and showed it to his brother-in-law who took it to a printer and had copies made of it. Two of these copies survive today.
Newspapers started printing it and people began singing it to a familiar tune. The Star Spangled Banner was adopted as our national anthem on March 3, 1931. The flag which flew over Fort McHenry is now at the Smithsonian in the Museum of American History.
The flag is very fragile and is kept behind a curtain to protect it from the light and dust. It is shown for a few minutes every hour when the museum is open to the public.
In 1812 Russia was also at war. They defeated the French invasion. In 1882, Peter Ilch Tchaikovsky composed his 1812 overture to celebrate this victory. We can hear the cannons in the music and can imagine how our ancestors celebrated the victory at Fort McHenry.
-By Mrs. Gorrell
After their historical thought, they took us all on a "ride" while reciting the poem, "The Swing".
This historical thought was delivered by our Kindergarten students at devotional on 02/06/2025. Each week one class leads the student body in prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, scripture recitation, a meditation, and an historical thought. Family and friends are welcome, Thursdays 8:30-9:05 am.
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