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History of the Star Spangle Banner
 Maybe idea of Major George Armistead
  The glory of Americans who scan her
   Of Mary Pickersgill she was begat

   The creation of the original flag
  Be still a subject highly debated
 Mary Pickersgill was not one to brag
Old Glory she made, beauty wind inflated

Armistead first requested it to be
 A large garrison flag for reason
  So the British have no trouble to see
   Good to see our flag has flown in season 

   Fifteen colonies equal fifteen stars
  Having eight red stripes and seven white stripes
 Red and white stripes run in parallel bars
She flows in glory apart from other types

Rumor has it two glories were first made
 For a small and a large Mary did charge
  A document exists a bill was paid
   Though small one be lost or is still at large

   The  varied small Star Spangled Banner
  Never made it home to the Smithsonian
 Would be nice to see displayed in some manner
In national museum the large is on loan!

For Contest Dazzle us with History
 For Carolyn Devonshire and James Frazer

The History of the Real Star Spangled Banner

The creation of the original flag is still a debated subject. 
However, the general story accepted by most historians is that Mary
Pickersgill was commissioned to make the flag by Major George Armistead
for $405.90. Following the victory at Fort McHenry, the flag was preserved
by Col. Armistead and it remained in the Armistead family. A smaller one
which was flown during the actual battle, and a larger one that was
flown as a replacement immediately after the British retreat. 
This was a common wartime practice of the period.While no one
can say for sure what really happened, documents exist that show that
Mary Pickersgill was paid for two separate flags, a small one and
a larger one. If the smaller flag exists, its whereabouts are unknown.
In 1907, George Armistead’s grandson, Eben Appleton, expressed
interest in donating the flag to the state of Maryland or to the city of
Baltimore. After discussions with Maryland’s governor and the Mayor of
Baltimore, Appleton eventually placed the flag on loan to Smithsonian Institution
and it was displayed in the Hall of History at the National Museum of American
History. The loan was converted to a gift in 1912 and can still be
seen at the National Museum in Washington, D.C.
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