BNHA Battle Monument
Affiliations
Baltimore City Landmark
National Register of Historic Places
Interpretive Framework
Shaping a Monumental City: The City’s Growth in the 20th Century
Upholding Independence: Baltimore and the War of 1812
Star Attractions
Charles Street Byway
Heritage Walk
Resource Type
Points of Interest
Calvert Street (between Lexington and Fayette Streets)
Baltimore, Maryland
Battle Monument honors the soldiers and seaman who gave their lives defending the city in the September 1814 Battle of Baltimore, a pivotal U.S. victory of the War of 1812. It was during this battle that Francis Scott Key saw the flag raise over Fort McHenry and was the spark of inspiration for the National Anthem.
Work on the monument began in 1815 and was finished 10 years later. It was the nation's first significant war memorial and the first in to celebrate the common soldier. Because of the Battle Monument and the nearby Washington Monument, President John Quincy Adams dubbed Baltimore “The Monument City.” The Battle Monument has been adopted as the official emblem and seal of the City of Baltimore.
French-trained architect Maximilian Godefroy designed the 39-feet-tall monument. The monument’s base is unique for its unusual mix of Egyptian and Classical designs. Crowning the monument is a classical female figure, “Lady Baltimore.”
The city’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation restored the monument in 1997 and 2012. In 2013, the original Lady Baltimore was removed to due to the statue’s deteriorating condition. The original is now on display at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood. The Battle Monument was listed in the National Register of Historic
Place in 1973 and designated a city landmark in 1975