Rare 1818 bill from Indian Queen Tavern where Key finished Star Spangled Banner

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A 1 page oblong vertical 8vo invoice for a stay at the famous Indian Queen Tavern in Baltimore, March, 1818 showing that Frisby Holliday owes an additional $1.31 on his bill for dinners, suppers and lodging. Very good, with a beautiful engraving at the top and a note on the back about the account, possibly in Gadsby's hand. An extremely early engraved bllhead.You've probably already heard the story of Francis Scott Key, trapped in the Baltimore Harbor during the British attack on Fort McHenry. He and John Skinner had just secured the release of American Dr. William Beanes, who had been arrested by the British after the burning of Washington. Recognizing the group knew too much of the British plan of attack, they weren't allowed to head to shore until after the bombardment was complete.For the next 24 hours, Key and his party watched and waited through smoke, rain, and fear. As the smoke cleared and the shelling ended on the morning of September 14th, Key saw the American flag still waving and was moved by the scene.He quickly jotted down his thoughts "in the fervor of the moment," as he told his brother-in-law, Roger Brooke Taney. He and his party were released on September 16th and Key made his way to Baltimore.Now begins the lesser-known part of the story.John Gadsby, most famous for entertaining the likes of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson at Alexandria's City Hotel, arrived in Baltimore in the fall of 1808. He took over management of the Indian Queen Hotel, located at the corner of Hanover and Baltimore Streets (known better now as the site of the former Mechanic Theatre).In 1827, The Baltimore Gazette recognized Gadsby as "the first man who introduced the proper style and taste for public entertainments in this city." It was a large hotel, and over time Gadsby introduced new features to the business, including a mechanically powered coffee roaster, reading room, and public baths. The operation was large and Gadsby owned 42 slaves, most of whom worked at the hotel.It was here, at this hotel, that Francis Scott Key found a bed for the night after arriving on land on September 16th. In his room, he compiled all of his notes and finished writing out his four verses. The lyrics were published the next day with no title, but it was soon given one by a friend: Defence of Fort McHenry. It was noted that the lyrics could be sung to the music of a well-known British club song called "Anacreon in Heaven." And the rest, as they say, is history.The Indian Queen Tavern was located at the corner of .John Gadsby, the English-born proprietor of the Indian Queen Tavern, had arrived in Baltimore from Alexandria, Virginia in 1808. On September 29, 1809, traveler Samuel Breck stopped in Baltimore and stayed at the Indian Queen, observing: "We alighted at the Indian Queen in Market street, kept by John Gadsby in a style exceeding anything that I recollect to have seen in Europe or America. This inn is so capacious that it accommodates two hundred lodgers, and has two splendid billiard-rooms, large stables and many other appendages. The numerous bed-chambers have all bells, and the servants are more attentive than in any public or private house I ever knew."In 1813, John Gadsby held thirty-six enslaved people at the Indian Queen to support the "attentive" service of his establishment. According to the 1813 Baltimore tax records, the value of the enslaved people held by just twelve tavern or innkeepers exceeded the total value of their real estate.It also appears Edgar Allen Poe's wife acted at the tavern with her little troupe at one time. read more

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