Mary Young Pickersgill

Mary Young Pickersgill
Born	Mary Young 1776 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	1857 (aged 80–81)
Residence	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Baltimore, Maryland
Nationality	American
Occupation	Flagmaker
Known for	Sewing the Star Spangled Banner Flag
Spouse	John Pickersgill
Parents	Rebecca Young

Mary Young Pickersgill (1776–1857) was the flagmaker of the Star Spangled Banner Flag hoisted over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812.

Biography

Born Mary Young in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1776, she learned the flagmaking trade from her mother, Rebecca Young, who made ensigns, garrison flags, and continental standards during and after American Revolution. Her family first moved to Baltimore, Maryland, when she was a child. In 1795 she married John Pickersgill and moved back to Philadelphia until his death.

Pickersgill returned to Baltimore in 1807 with her widowed mother and young daughter, Caroline. In her home at 44 Queen Street (now 844 E. Pratt Street and home of the Star Spangled Banner Flag House and 1812 Museum), she established a flag-making business where she successfully supported her family by designing, sewing, and selling "silk standards, cavalry and division colours of every description," including signal and house flags for the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and merchant ships that frequented Baltimore’s harbor. By 1820 she was able to purchase the house she had been renting and lived there for the remainder of her life.

One hundred and fifty years before American women entered the business world, Pickersgill was a successful businesswoman and philanthropist. She actively addressed social issues such as housing, job placement assistance, and financial aid for disadvantaged women—decades before these issues were prominent concerns in society. From 1828 until 1851 she was president of the Impartial Female Humane Society that helped impoverished families with school vouchers for children and employment for women. Under her presidency the society established a home for aged women in 1850. By 1869 there were forty-eight residents and, in 1863, a Men’s Home was added, with 27 residents. Today the Impartial Female Humane Society is known as the Pickersgill Retirement Community, located in Towson, Maryland, a living testimony of Pickersgill’s humanitarian contributions to society.

While her business success and humanitarian contributions deserve acclaim, Pickersgill’s national contribution was making the 30x42 foot American flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the 1814 Battle of Baltimore on September 13 and 14. Pickersgill was paid $544.74 for her contribution. [The receipt of the payment can be seen at the Star Spangled Banner Flag House]. The United States was at war with Great Britain, and Baltimore was preparing for an eventual attack. Major George Armistead, commander of the forces at Fort McHenry, commissioned Pickersgill to sew a flag "so large that the British will have no difficulty seeing it from a distance." She was able to hand sew the flag in just six weeks with the help of her daughter, two nieces, and two African American servants. It contained over 400 yards (400 m) of fabric; there were fifteen stripes, so each stripe was two feet (60 cm) wide and each of the fifteen stars measured twenty-six inches across (60 cm) from tip to tip. The result was an enormous American flag that could be seen for several miles (kilometres) from the Fort. When the British attacked Baltimore, Francis Scott Key saw Pickersgill’s flag while he was held captive on a British ship and was inspired to compose the poem that became the national anthem of the United States. One of the most important artifacts at the Smithsonian, this flag is undergoing an $18 million restoration and will be the centerpiece of the redesigned National Museum of American History.

See also

• Mary Pickersgill was the namesake of a World War II Liberty ship, the SS Mary Pickersgill, launched in 1944.

References

• Maryland State Archives

External links

• Mary Young Pickersgill Bio at Maryland State Archives
• Mary Young Pickersgill at Find a Grave

Persondata
Name	Pickersgill, Mary Young
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1776
Place of birth	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date of death	1857
Place of death