Hampton Mansion

Completed in 1790, for Captain Charles Ridgely III (1733-1790) and his wife, Rebecca Dorsey (1739-1812). It is said that for its design Ridgely was inspired by Castle Howard in England, his mother being a Howard. At its peak Hampton encompassed 25,000-acres and after Captain Ridgely died childless in 1790 - on the condition that he assume the name "Ridgely" - it was inherited by his nephew, Charles Carnan Ridgely, 15th Governor of Maryland. It remained in the Ridgely family until 1948 when John Ridgely Jr. (1882-1959) vacated the family home and moved into Home Farm opposite. Today, Hampton National Historic Site is a house museum open to the public.