Hampton Hall

Description

Hampton Hall, a five-part Georgian-style mansion and plantation, was the summer home of the Ridgely family located north of Towson in Baltimore County, Maryland. In December 1947, the house and remaining grounds were sold to the National Park Service and the Hampton National Historic Site was established in June 1948.

Hampton, including the Northhampton Ironworks, was one of the largest forced labor camps in Maryland and the Ridgely family enslaved over 500 people. Hampton is also the site of one of the largest manumissions in Maryland’s history. At the time of his death in 1829, Charles Carnan Ridgely enslaved approximately 350 people scattered across several farms, the ironworks, the mansion, and his Baltimore City townhouse. In his will, Ridgely granted freedom to female enslaved people between the ages of 25 and 45 and male enslaved people between the ages of 28 and 45.