If you happen to come across woven wool remnants in red, white or blue marked Fort McHenry in your attic, a group of curators would like to know.

Two hundred years after a massive American flag was hoisted over Baltimore's fort to mark victory over the British, Americans may still have fragments of the original Star-Spangled Banner.

After the huge flag was unfurled - and inspired Francis Scott Key's poem that became the national anthem - caretakers began snipping off pieces to give away as keepsakes.

Now as Maryland celebrates Defenders' Day and America's victory over the British 200 years ago on Sunday, the anniversary has prompted two families within the last year to ask whether their flag fragments might have historical value.