The successful defense of Baltimore from British attack has been remembered every year since 1814, and the Society of the War of 1812 maintains that legacy of remembrance. The society traces its origin to Fort McHenry, where on September 13, 1836, surviving soldiers from the bombardment met at the fort and vowed "never to disband." According to oral tradition, they met in a former tavern building on the fort's grounds. By 1880, the last 12 surviving veterans moved to include the sons and grandsons of the defenders, and the Society of the War of 1812 was born. Today it is a nationwide organization composed of descendants of veterans from that conflict. In addition to commemorative activities, it has restored cemeteries and historic forts and funded scholarship opportunities. The U.S. Army tore down the tavern in 1837, and three small pillars next to the row of Lombardy Poplar trees mark its approximate location.