BALTIMORE –
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) today praised Thursday’s upcoming dedication of the new Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Visitor and Education Center as
“the culmination of years of hard work by many who had a vision that this center could serve as an ‘anchor’ for War of 1812 Bicentennial celebrations. It also will educate future generations of Americans about the historic battle that took place here and resulted in the writing of our National Anthem,
The Star-Spangled Banner.”
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) today praised Thursday’s upcoming dedication of the new Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Visitor and Education Center as
“the culmination of years of hard work by many who had a vision that this center could serve as an ‘anchor’ for War of 1812 Bicentennial celebrations. It also will educate future generations of Americans about the historic battle that took place here and resulted in the writing of our National Anthem,
The Star-Spangled Banner.”
In 2005, as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives,
then-Congressman Cardin joined with former
U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) to get funds appropriated for the project. Additional funding was also provided by Baltimore City, the State of Maryland and the National Park Service.
then-Congressman Cardin joined with former
U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) to get funds appropriated for the project. Additional funding was also provided by Baltimore City, the State of Maryland and the National Park Service.
“Fort McHenry is one of the crown jewels of Maryland and of our nation,” said Senator Cardin. “In addition to bringing history to life, this new Visitor and Education Center also will attract tourists to our region, providing jobs and future economic growth.”
Fort McHenry welcomes more than 650,000 visitors a year, which is expected to increase with the commemoration of the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the 200th year anniversary of the writing to the Star Spangled Banner in 2014. The new Visitor and Education Center will include a film and exhibit experience and flexible educational space that will enable the National Park Service to exhibit many artifacts from the War of 1812 and Battle of Baltimore. Designed by GWWO Architects of Baltimore and built by Forrester Construction of Rockville, MD, the Center was designed to achieve a LEED silver certificate.
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