Armistead was the commander of Fort McHenry, which guarded Baltimore harbor. He needed a flag that was big enough for the British to see, even when their ships were outside of the harbor.

The flag was to be 42 feet across and 30 feet high-the biggest one Pickersgill had ever made. Eventually, she had to move it out of her workshop and finish it in a brewery.

Some interesting facts about the flag: the flag was made from 300 yards of bunting, each star was two feet across, and Mrs. Pickersgill was paid $405.90 to make the flag.

Oh, and one more thing-this was the flag that Francis Scott Key was looking at when he started writing the Star-Spangled Banner, the poem that later became the national anthem. It is this Star-Spangled Banner flag that is housed at the National Museum of American History and that is currently the object of museum's preservation efforts. You're probably visiting this site sight now to learn more about this project so read on!