Ann's story at Hampton

There is a great joy in understanding that the Parks belong to all of us and that we can inspire visitors with the help of NPS to dig deeper into each Park experience.

Ann is with our friend's group Historic Hampton Inc (HHI). She has played a role in supporting and helping Hampton for decades! It all started when her friend invited her to a meeting. She told us all about her experience with Hampton! We invited her to share her perspectives on the park:

Why did you start volunteering for the site?

About 25 years ago, a friend invited me to a Women’s Committee of HHI fund raiser and introduced me to the Mansion. The beauty and rich history of the site, particularly as a study of seven generations of American history, captivated me. Through years on the Women’s Committee and Board of Historic Hampton Inc. and trying to keep up with NPS projects, I feel I have earned a degree in Maryland if not US History!

What does the NPS mission mean to you?

The NPS mission, from my perspective, is to encourage the public to relate to and find inspiration from a Park. HHI created an Arts Initiative in 2010 to encourage the public of all ages and backgrounds to adopt Hampton as their muse. We wanted to encourage the public to look twice at an object, view, detail or story and want to learn more. HHI has organized and supported Arts shows, Musical events, and Theater related to Hampton but there is so much more to explore.

How do stories of the site connect with you personally?

Every Park in the NPS can uniquely inspire a visitor. Hampton is the nearest Park but it is also one of the most compelling to me. I was thrilled to learn, as an architect, that one of the Monuments Men (David Finley), after visiting Hampton, worked to create what became the National Trust for Historic Preservation. I like to imagine Captain Ridgely and Jehu Howell designing the grand residence.

Why do you think people should volunteer for the NPS?

There is a great joy in understanding that the Parks belong to all of us and that we can inspire visitors with the help of NPS to dig deeper into each Park experience.

What has been your most enjoyable experience volunteering for the NPS?

I have many favorites: - A performance of Magical Strings (harpists) in the Orangery when a Ridgely relative visited from Virginia to donate a rare folio of sheet music that had belonged to Eliza Ridgely.

-The Ball in the Hall in the empty mansion (after major renovation). A small, talented and wonderful group of women from the Board and Women’s Committee teamed up for the event.

- Watching Artist in Residence Elaine Bryant, conduct a dozen student harpists in the Great Hall beneath the painting of Eliza Ridgely.

- Attending Adult Hampton inspired Art Shows in the Orangery organized by the HHI Arts Initiative.

- Seeing Plein Air groups and Artists on the grounds.

-Attending (again with HAI members) the visits of Baltimore County Public School Students to Hampton for NPS tours followed by Hampton inspired Shows in the Orangery, the Farmhouse and at the Towson University StartUp.

Thank you NPS