Who made the Star-Spangled Banner flag that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814?

Mary Young Pickersgill made the Star-Spangled Banner flag that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814.

Pickersgill was a Baltimore seamstress and flagmaker. In 1813, Major George Armistead commissioned her to create an enormous garrison flag that British forces could see from a great distance. She worked with members of her household and other helpers, including her daughter Caroline, relatives and Grace Wisher, an African American indentured servant.

The large flag measured 30 by 42 feet and contained 15 stars and 15 stripes, representing the 15 states then in the Union. Pickersgill delivered it to Fort McHenry in August 1813. During the Battle of Baltimore on September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key saw it flying after the British bombardment and wrote the poem that became the national anthem.

A common mix-up connects the flag with Betsy Ross, whose famous flag-making story lacks firm contemporary evidence. Ross is not credited with making the Star-Spangled Banner; Pickersgill’s commission and payment are documented.