You Can See The Original 'Star-Spangled Banner' Manuscript For One Day Only At The Maryland State House
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — The original manuscript for the U.S. National Anthem was on display for one day only from the Maryland Historical Society in downtown Baltimore.
The 206-year-old manuscript of the original Star-Spangled Banner written by Francis Scott Key sat in the statehouse on Tuesday.
"The actual Star-Spangled Banner was written as a song. A lot of musicologists have done research on this. It was based on a drinking song. The actual tune is "Anacreon in Heaven." It was an old drinking song," said Mark Letzer, director of the Maryland Historical Society.
He added the document has national significance and is one of the most important national documents they own. He wants not only state legislators to know about the importance of the anthem, but Marylanders as well.
"It's important that every Marylander, every American understands, what it is, where it came from and where it resides," Letzer said.
Sitting alongside 1783's George Washington resignation speech, the anthem's appearance is rare. Governor Larry Hogan had to see it for himself before speaking to attendees in the Rotunda.
He tweeted out an image of the encased anthem, calling it "an immense honor."
Locked inside the glass case, the manuscript lives at the Maryland Historical Society in downtown Baltimore where they preserve this and other pieces of the state's history.