BALTIMORE Maryland history museum reopens

The museum displays historic objects with related paintings.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- The original sheet on which Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner," a stone that marked the Mason-Dixon line in the 18th century, and an authentic Revolutionary War uniform are among the treasures on display at the newly reopened Maryland Historical Society.
The society reopened in November after being closed for renovations for six months. "Roofs were leaking, the buildings had not been as well maintained as they should have been, the collections were deteriorating, we did not have a lot of storage space, staff was too small and the funding was inadequate," said MHS Director Dennis Fiori. The society spent $30 million -- most of it from donations -- to buy three buildings and renovate its campus.
The new three-story museum houses two new exhibits: "Looking for Liberty: An Overview of Maryland History," a time line of Maryland history, and "Maryland through the Artist's Eye," a visual arts collection portraying the state's land and its people. In February, an exhibit on Baltimore's 1904 fire will go up.
Pursuit of liberty
The overview exhibit on the first floor features paintings, artifacts and oral histories that trace Maryland's pursuit of liberty and the state's role in the development of the nation, particularly in the areas of religion and as border state during the Civil War.
The exhibit is broken down into themes of liberty, such as land and property, worship and belief, and defense and protection. The latter section is the home of the original document of "The Star-Spangled Banner," by Francis Scott Key.
"This is really not only an opportunity for Marylanders to understand their history, but it's for Americans to understand their history," said Nancy Davis, deputy director for the museum.
A case holding a reproduction covers the original poem Key wrote Sept. 14, 1814, when he saw an American flag still flying over Fort McHenry after the British attacked it in the War of 1812. The case retracts for 10 minutes at the top of every hour from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to display the authentic version.
Kevin Brookes of Frederick designed and engineered the case that holds the poem. He said preservation and security were important.
"It would take 15 minutes to forcibly enter the case," Brookes said.
Notable artifacts
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the museum's top draw, but there are many other notable pieces, including a Mason-Dixon stone marker, circa 1767, from the line that divides North and South, and a fired-clay storage pot from between 500 B.C. to 200 B.C.
To help visitors make connections, the new exhibits display objects with related paintings. For instance, Charles Willson Peale's "Washington and His Generals at Yorktown," circa 1784, is accompanied by Tench Tilghman's Revolutionary War uniform, which is pictured in the painting.
In the landscape exhibit, Peale's "Exhuming the Mastodon," circa 1806, shows a man holding a large bone from an excavation pit. A few bones from the mastodon are encased below the painting.
"It's really engaging when you see the bones of the mastodon and then it being brought out of the murky pit," Davis said.
The society also tries to make the liberty exhibit as child-friendly as possible, with special labels that are easy for children to read and a place for families to record oral histories.
Fiori said the museum's two largest audiences are schoolchildren, who like interactive features, and adults over 40 who appreciate history.
Visitors' contributions
Visitors from both demographics are expected to hit the "response stations" where they can record their contributions to Maryland history. The museum's staff will collect the data over two years and then incorporate it into the exhibit.
"It's a very distinctly unusual approach to state history," Davis said. "Usually what happens is the curators come in and say 'This is your history, take it or leave it."'
On the second floor, the society shows landscapes and portraits, including works by the Peale family, who were cultural leaders in Maryland and in colonial American history.
For the landscapes, photos were taken from the artists' vantage points to show visitors what the land looks like now.
The society's library, a collection of more than 7 million items dating to the 1600s, was also expanded and renovated. The main reading room has been restored to its original 1919 appearance and two new galleries will exhibit portions of the collection.
Fiori said he wanted to make the museum and library more inviting and accessible to Marylanders and the nation.
"I think when they come inside, they'll just be blown away ... the beautiful spaces and the details and how airy it is," he said. "We want people to say, 'I want to go there. I love being here. It's welcoming me."'
XThe society is at 201 W. Monument St., Baltimore. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $8, adults; children 3 to 12, $4; students, teens under 18 and seniors, $6. Call (410) 685-3750 or visit www.mdhs.org for more information.