Home Farm at Hampton National Historic Site

HOME FARM OPERATING HOURS

The grounds of the Home Farm at Hampton National Historic Site, which consist of ten historical buildings, are open daily during daylight hours for those who just want to walk around on their own. The vehicle gate is open from 8:30 AM to 5 PM, so if you arrive outside of these hours you must park at the gate (do not block it) or along the street and walk in. If you want to get inside some of the buildings, the Workers’ Quarters and Dairy are open on Thursdays through Sundays from 9:00 AM to 4 PM, provided there is enough staff to man the farm site.

To reach the farm, you can drive or walk from Hampton Mansion. If driving, take a right out of the mansion entrance. The farm is on the left about a tenth of a mile down the road. If walking, you can either take the mowed grass path located at the front of the house (opposite side from the gardens) or the dirt road at the east side of the house. I suggest the dirt road because this runs right past two stables located on the mansion property. Either way, you have about a quarter-mile walk (5-10 minutes).

HOME FARM HISTORY

The saga of the Ridgely family, one of the wealthiest families in America up through the Civil War, began in 1745 when Colonel Charles Ridgely purchased 1,500 acres of land called Northampton in Baltimore County from the original owners, the Darnall-Hill family. He would later go on to found the Northampton Iron Furnace with his two sons, Charles Jr. and John. It was the iron business that was the source of the family’s great wealth.

In 1760, the Colonel gave Charles Jr., who was referred to as The Captain due to a career as a mariner, approximately 2,000 acres of land as a wedding present. This included the northern three-quarters of the Northampton tract, which would later become known simply as Hampton. The Captain expanded his land holdings to well over 25,000 acres, much of which was gained as the result of the American victory in the war of independence from England. All property of British Loyalists in Maryland was seized after the war, and those with the proper connections were able to buy it cheaply. The Captain, being active in politics and having supplied the Continental Army with artillery, had these connections.

What is considered the Hampton estate amounts to the original land purchase plus a few additional parcels, a total of about 2,000 acres. It included the mansion and its grounds plus the Home Farm, the farm that was used to produce food for the family and its slaves. When a family member “inherited” Hampton, it was these 2,000 acres that were inherited.

Lower House at Hampton Plantation’s Home Farm, Hampton National Historic Site

The Civil War was the beginning of the end for the Ridgelys, and by the time John II owned Hampton (1872-1938), the family fortune was in severe decline. Towards the end of his tenure, he and his son John Jr. opened a real estate business in an attempt to develop the Hampton estate into residential neighborhoods. In 1947, when John Jr. sold the mansion and 43 acres of surrounding land to the Mellon Foundation—which proceeded to donate it to the National Park Service—only 60 or so acres of Hampton remained in the family.

There were three properties not included in the Mellon Foundation deal: the 14-acre Home Farm, the 2-acre Ridgely Family Cemetery, and two acres where the stables are located. John Jr. and his wife, Jane, lived out their lives on the farm after selling the rest of the estate in 1948. It wasn’t until after Jane died in 1978 that the farm was acquired by the government and added to Hampton National Historic Site. The Society for the Preservation of Maryland Antiquities owned the cemetery and stables, and it donated this land to the park in 1990.

HOME FARM TOURS

Ranger-guided tours of the farm are typically given once a day on Thursdays through Sundays. For a schedule, visit the National Park Service’s Ranger Programs web page for Hampton National Historic Site. Tours last 45 minutes to an hour.

You are also welcome to tour the Home Farm on your own. If walking from the mansion or parking at the street, the first building you come to is the dairy facility, which is thought to have been built in the early 1800s. It is partially below ground to help keep the interior cool. There are a few dairy related artifacts and exhibits inside.

Dairy facility at Hampton Plantation’s Home Farm, Hampton National Historic Site

Inside the dairy facility of Hampton Plantation’s Home Farm, Hampton National Historic Site

Off to the left of the dairy is a large, stone barn that was used as a grain storage facility. This building is not open to the public.

Granary at Hampton Plantation’s Home Farm, Hampton National Historic Site

The next buildings are farther down the driveway. The first you will pass is the foundation of a corn crib that was built around 1845. It burned down in 1988. The National Park Service would like to build a historically accurate reproduction and use it as a farm visitor center, but no telling if or when that will ever happen.

Ruins of the corn crib at Hampton Plantation’s Home Farm, Hampton National Historic Site

Next to the corn crib foundation is a mule barn that was built in 1855. It is not open to the public.

Mule Barn at Hampton Plantation’s Home Farm, Hampton National Historic Site

From the barn you will pass a dove cote / chicken house built sometime between 1880 and 1890. It was converted into a garage in the 1930s. The building now houses restrooms that are open from 9 AM to 4 PM.

Building originally used as a dove cote on the Hampton Plantation’s Home Farm, Hampton National Historic Site (photo by National Park Service)

Just after the cote is the bulk of the buildings that remain standing on the farm. The most conspicuous is the Lower House, which was the residence of the overseer during the farming era. Originally much smaller, the house was standing when the Ridgelys first purchased the property in 1745. In 1783, having just hit the jackpot with his purchase of confiscated Loyalist land, Captain Ridgely set out to build a mansion that would reflect his great wealth—Hampton Mansion. During its construction he and his wife, Rebecca, lived in the Lower House. This is also where John Jr. and Jane, the last Ridgely Family owners of Hampton, lived after selling the estate in 1947. In essence, the Lower House is where the Ridgely story began and where it ended. What stands today is the result of expansion and renovation throughout the years, primarily around 1948 before John and Jane Ridgely moved in.

View of back extension on the Lower House at Hampton Plantation’s Home Farm, Hampton National Historic Site

The Lower House is only open during the Ranger-guided tours of the farm. In fact, this is where the tours begin. Participants can peruse the exhibits inside for a few minutes before heading outside to see the rest of the farm. If seeing the inside of the Lower House is important to you, be sure to attend a tour.

Interior exhibits in Hampton Plantation’s Lower House, Hampton National Historic Site

There are way more exhibits inside the Lower House to read than time allows during the tour, but since most people have no interest in reading everything, I doubt this is much of a problem. If interested, you might ask the Ranger if he or she can stick around after the tour, or just take photos of the exhibits and read the information later at home.

Interior exhibits in Hampton Plantation’s Lower House, Hampton National Historic Site

The exhibits cover the history of the farm; the history and architecture of the Lower House; the iron furnace business; and the people who lived at the Home Farm, both the Ridgelys and the workers: slaves and indentured servants prior to the Civil War and tenant farmers after the war.

Exhibit on the people who lived on the Hampton Plantation, Hampton National Historic Site

Behind the Lower House are two stone buildings and one hewn log cabin. All were used for housing of some sort—for slaves, for indentured servants, for tenant farmers—depending on the era. Before the Civil War, the Ridgelys actively farmed the land using the work of slaves and indentured European servants, so it is these people who would have occupied such buildings pre-war. After the war, due to the end of slave labor and declining produce prices, the Ridgelys relied more and more on renting the land to tenant farmers, and it is these farmers who would have lived here.

Housing for those working at Hampton Plantation’s Home Farm, Hampton National Historic Site

The stone buildings are thought to have been built around 1855. The log house is thought to have also been built before the Civil War but was most likely used as a storage facility or workshop. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that it was used for housing.

Workers’ quarters at Hampton Plantation’s Home Farm, Hampton National Historic Site

The small, arch-shaped structure located between the log and stone buildings was used to store ashes that would later be used to make soap.

Log workers’ quarters at Hampton Plantation’s Home Farm and stone structure used to store ashes to make soap, Hampton National Historic Site

One of the buildings is furnished as a slave quarters and one as a tenant farmer residence. There are informational exhibits inside as well. You won’t have time to read them on a Ranger-guided tour, but you can come back on your own afterwards.

Exhibits inside the log house on Hampton Plantation’s Home Farm, Hampton National Historic Site

Stone House on Hampton Plantation’s Home Farm furnished as a tenant farmer’s home, Hampton National Historic Site

Stone House on Hampton Plantation’s Home Farm furnished as a slave’s home, Hampton National Historic Site

I visited the Home Farm on two occasions, once walking around on my own and once on a Ranger-guided tour. I spent about an hour both times, and that should be plenty of time to allot for your visit to the farm.

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