Jim Pratt

Of the individuals enslaved at Hampton before 1864, most for whom there is detailed later information were house servants. An exception to this rule is field hand Jim Pratt (1834-1902), the youngest of four siblings (John, Joe, Caroline, and Jim) born to Charlotte and Henry Pratt. According to Ridgely family memoirist James McHenry Howard, writing in 1894, Jim “…is still upon the farm as a laborer & though getting old is one of the hardest workers that have been upon the place. When a younger man he took pride in eclipsing any hired hand in the harvest field.” Jim and his wife Laura Franklin Pratt had a remarkable 22 children, including four sons living in Towson at the time of Jim’s death at Hampton in 1902.

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Enslaved People

Hampton was the second largest plantation in Maryland. Learn about the struggle, hardships, and lives of the enslaved.
Slavery at Hampton

From the colonial period through 1864, the Ridgelys enslaved over 500 people. Enslaved persons, from young children to the elderly
The Ridgelys of Hampton

Learn about the history of the Ridgely family at Hampton.
Free Black Laborers

Free Black Laborers worked at Hampton for various reasons. A good amount did to eventually purchase their family members.
Religion and the Enslaved

African Americans hosted their own religious services in the woods at Hampton and attending religious meetings with neighboring groups of fr
Gruesome
Working Conditions

Accounts of the working conditions of the forced labor iron works.
Forms of Control

From physical to mental abuse for the youngest ages to the oldest. Learn about the harsh truths and forms of control.
Revealing the Lives of the Enslaved

A recent Ethnographic Study uncovered major information on the lives of those enslaved at Hampton and their descendants. Read about it here.
History & Culture
History & Culture

Hampton National Historic Site today preserves the core of what was once a vast commercial, industrial, and agricultural plantation.