What does it take to save and store a flag more than 200 years, and what will it take to make sure it survives another few hundred more?

We're joined by the person in charge of flag curation at the Smithsonian Museum, Jennifer Jones.

And that collection includes the Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired America's national anthem.

Jennifer picks up the story when the preservation of that flag started. In 1998 was when we started the major preservation project for the flag.

We took the flag down out of its former location in the large flag hall in American

history because we realized that it was very dirty and that it was in desperate need of some tender loving care by our conservation department.

And at that time, we undertook a multi-million dollar project to remove the old backing on the flag,

which had been put on it in about 1912, and to clean it and to

do a really thorough examination of the flag, as well as understand what was happening to this

almost 200-year-old textal in this flag.

It's kind of amazing that we still have it, isn't it at all?

That it's still around?

It is.

In fact, most flags from, many flags from the early part of the 19th century don't exist any longer

there are a number out there but given the significance of this flag itself the fact that it

was raised and used over Fort McHenry from 1813 to probably a little after the Battle of Baltimore in 1814,

and that the Armistead family had in its possession from the Battle of Baltimore up until it was lent to the National Museum in 1907.

The fact that the family kept it, they'd fly it, they would get people interested in having it

for special occasions, and the fact that it was souvenired.

And by that I mean pieces, little pieces were cut away and given to prominent individuals

over the lifetime of the Armistead family having it's in their possession.

It is, in fact, interesting that so much of it still exists.

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