Francis Scott Key Monument

For the monument to Key by Niehaus at Fort McHenry, see Orpheus with the Awkward Foot.
For the former monument to Key by Story in San Francisco, see Statue of Francis Scott Key (San Francisco).

Francis Scott Key Monument
The monument in 2011
Map
LocationEutaw Place, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
DesignerAntonin Mercié
MaterialMarble, gold leaf
Completion date1911
Dedicated date1911
Dedicated toFrancis Scott Key

The Francis Scott Key Monument is a monument to the author of the text of the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner", in the Bolton Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The monument features a gilded statue of Lady Columbia waving a flag on a pedestal of four stone columns, surrounded on two sides by gilded reliefs depicting the Battle of Baltimore. At the pedestal's base is a bronze statue of Francis Scott Key standing in a rowboat carved from stone.[1]

History

Charles Marburg gave $25,000 to his brother Theodore Marburg to hire a sculptor to create a monument to Francis Scott Key. The French sculptor Antonin Mercié was selected. Mercié had previously created a bronze equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee in 1890 in Richmond, Virginia.[2] The Francis Scott Key Monument was dedicated on Eutaw Place in 1911.[3]

It was restored and rededicated on September 11, 1999.[2]

The monument was defaced with the words "Racist Anthem" and splashed with red paint in September 2017. The city quickly restored the monument.[4][3]

  • Monument circa 1910
    Monument circa 1910
  • Monument circa 1920
    Monument circa 1920
  • Figure of Columbia with the American Flag
    Figure of Columbia with the American Flag
  • Monument defaced in 2017
    Monument defaced in 2017

See also

References

39°18′14″N 76°37′34″W / 39.30388°N 76.62605°W / 39.30388; -76.62605 (F.S. Key Monument)

  1. ^ "Key Monument on Eutaw Place" (PDF). BHCA: Bolton Hill Community Association. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Restored Key Monument Rededicated". Heritage Preservation. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2011. Charles Marburg gave $25,000 to his brother Theodore to commission a monument to his favorite poet, Francis Scott Key. The French sculptor Marius Jean Antonin Mercie was the selected artist. At the time, Mercié was known for European sculptures and the Robert E. Lee (1890) equestrian bronze in Richmond, Virginia, and collaboration with General Lafayette (1891) in the District of Columbia.
  3. ^ a b Hopkins, Johns. "Francis Scott Key Monument". Baltimore Heritage. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  4. ^ Campbell, Colin; Welsh, Sean (September 13, 2017). "Baltimore to keep, clean defaced Francis Scott Key statue". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 27, 2024.