Old ammunition shuts down Fort McHenry in Baltimore

An old and potentially explosive piece of military hardware was found Friday at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, where British bombs famously exploded in the air in an 1814 attack that led to the writing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Little detail was available late Friday about what was described by authorities as potentially explosive historical ordnance. Construction workers “unearthed what appears to be an older bomb or explosive device” at the fort, the Baltimore Police Department confirmed in a statement.

Fort McHenry, in addition to gaining fame during the War of 1812, also served as a defensive fortification during the Revolution and Civil War. Numerous opportunities have arisen to leave behind a cannonball.

A hazardous device unit went to the fort “after a report of a potential explosive device,” the Baltimore Police Department said on social media.

The police said the unit was working alongside Air Force explosive ordnance specialists to “render the device safe.” Explosive ordnance generally includes live bombs and shells. Baltimore City Fire Department hazmat units also responded to the scene, police said. A Baltimore fire official reportedly described Friday’s find as an old cannonball.

As accounts have it, Francis Scott Key was aboard a British ship that bombarded the fort in September 1814 when he was inspired to write the poem that cited “the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air.”

Set to music, the poem was eventually adopted as the national anthem.

In descriptions given by students of the period, bombs can refer to mortar rounds and other exploding projectiles fired by the British in an effort to overcome the defenses of Baltimore. The rockets were projectiles that illuminated the night sky.

The National Park Service said that the fort, now a national monument and historic shrine, would close Friday “while historic ordnance is removed.”

The park, in accordance with standard procedures, “was immediately cleared and closed” for safety, the Park Service said.

The service said it expected the site to reopen when the situation is fully addressed and the area is deemed safe.