Kitchen

The Kitchen at Hampton is located in the east wing, connected to the main block of the mansion by a “hyphen” which Charles Carnan Ridgely had expanded to serve as a butler’s pantry in the 1810s.

The space is minimally furnished but reflects the room’s appearance in the second quarter of the 19th century. The lives of Hampton’s domestic servants, including a French chef and enslaved African-American housekeepers, cooks, and waiters are a focus of interpretation.

The Kitchen features rare surviving cooking equipment including a late 18th century, double-well stew stove where refined dishes and sauces could be prepared. A Rumford-style roasting oven, built into the side of the fireplace, was an innovative feature introduced to the Kitchen in the early 1830s.