Information on rear of plaque
In 1813, Lt. Col. George Armistead, commander of Fort McHenry,  wanted a flag so large that it would be visible to the enemy from a distance.   The government contracted a widowed flagmaker from Baltimore,  Mary Pickersgill,  for the undertaking.   With the help of her mother,  daughter,  and two nieces,  the 30' by 42' "Star-Spangled Banner" was created.   Using 400 yards of wool bunting,  the flag was made with 15 alternating stripes of red and white,  each two feet wide,  with a blue union containing 15 stars,  2 feet across.   Realizing her house was not large enough,  Mary obtained permission from a local brewery to assemble the flag there.   Working by candlelight each night until midnight,  the project was completed by its deadline,  and Mary received payment of $405.90.
The Flag House is beautifully preserved and its original contents are dedicated to the story of Mary,  a maker of "Silk Standards & Calvery Colors,  and other Colors of every description."   Her greatest creation also survives and hangs at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.