WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Smithsonian Institution is collecting the missing bits of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” the huge American flag that was raised over Fort McHenry after the retreat of the British in 1814. (The flag is best known as the inspiration for the poem by Francis Scott Key that became the national anthem.) The pieces were snipped off the flag by its various keepers and given away as keepsakes until about 20 percent of the flag was missing by the 1880s. “It was such a monumental moment in time that people felt they wanted to hold a piece of that history,” Jennifer Jones of the National Museum of American History explained to The Associated Press. So far, 17 pieces have been recovered and analyzed to see if their weaves, stains, and soils match the original. There are no plans to attempt to reassemble the flag, but some of the pieces may be loaned to other museums. Unless, of course, the missing 15th star is recovered. “We’d love to have that back. That one I might put back on,” said Suzanne Thomassen-Krauss, the flag’s chief conservator.
