People of Hampton

Hampton National Historic Site (NHS) can best be understood through the story of its people—those who labored across centuries and the seven generations of the Ridgely family who gained wealth, status, and influence from that labor. Visitors can engage with the personal stories of the communities that toiled at the ironworks, in the fields, gardens and orchards, on the docks and aboard ships, and inside the mansion, making Hampton an example of the story of America.

Enslaved individuals, indentured servants, free Black laborers, free artisans, tradesmen, convict laborers and British prisoners of war all worked on a plantation that was both an industrial site and an agricultural enterprise.

Enslaved hands dug the foundation and raised the walls of Hampton mansion, the luxurious showplace whose walls still echo with historical debates, diversions, and sounds of daily life of the Ridgely family and their guests.

The lavish backdrop, however, can sometimes mask the stories of those who struggled for freedom. One of these stories is that of Henry Cummins (c. 1826-1906), an enslaved young man forced to labor at the Ridgely’s White Marsh Farm. He went on to gain employment at one of Baltimore City’s leading hotels and eventually established a career as a renowned chef. The National Park Service (NPS) utilized documentary records, oral histories and an NPS Ethnographic Overview & Assessment to bring the stories of Cummins, as well as many other enslaved laborers, to light. Read more about the stories of the Enslaved and their descendants by reading the Hampton NHS Ethnographic Study.

The Ridgely family featured many family members who were accomplished in a wide variety of endeavors and interests. Politically influential members of the family included a governor of Maryland and an internationally renowned diplomat who helped to negotiate the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I. Those with more creative passions included a horticulturist who transformed Hampton’s landscape and an artist and antiquarian who researched and wrote books on Maryland history and architecture. Humanitarian minded members included a missionary who founded a school for young women in Africa and a civic leader who founded organizations to assist the impoverished women and children in Baltimore City.

A visit to Hampton NHS allows visitors to travel back in time to experience snapshots of American history. Without the wide range of people and their contributions, Hampton would not have existed at all. By learning about all these individuals, visitors can connect all aspects of the site, from the buildings to the grounds to the experiences across time of enslaved, indentured, and free people. Discover more about how their lives intertwined and how their goals and hardships played out against the backdrop of America’s development as the nation struggled to define its own concept of freedom.