Margaretta Sophia Ridgely

A historic black and white photograph of Margaretta Sophia “Margie” Ridgely with students. — Margaretta Sophia “Margie” Ridgely with students.
NPS

Youngest sister of Captain John Ridgely, Margaretta Sophia “Margie” Ridgely (1869-1949), was not interested in the typical social life of a young woman of prominent family. She preferred to concern herself with the welfare and education of children—both white and black—of the estate’s farm workers. Margie lived quietly at Hampton until the death of her mother Margaretta in 1904. Then, at the age of 35, she trained as a nurse and went to Liberia as an Episcopal missionary.There she founded—and largely funded from her personal resources—a school for girls, the House of Bethany, where she taught for the next 28 years and from which she often sponsored promising students for further education in nursing or teaching in the United States.

In 1927, the Liberian government honored her service by naming her a Knight Official of the Humane Order of African Redemption. Upon her retirement, she returned to Baltimore to live with her sisters, Eliza Ridgely III and Julia Ridgely Yeaton. In later years, Margie often received visits from her former students at the sisters’ Baltimore rowhouse, as well as one from the Episcopal Bishop of Liberia and his traveling companion, a native African chief, in September 1924, whom she brought to dine at Hampton.

Individuals

Hampton's best known enslaved person
Nancy Davis

The story of Hampton's most documented enslaved person.
Margaretta Sophia Howard Ridgely

Following the death of her husband, Margaretta ran the Hampton estate for decades
Charles Ridgely

Charles Ridgely was the fourth owner of the Hampton Estate.
Eliza Ridgely III

An intelligent and determined woman with strong religious and reforming impulses.
John Ridgely

Fifth owner of the Hampton Estate.

Learn More

The Ridgely Family

The Ridgely Family owned and managed the Hampton Estate for almost 200 years. Explore their impact on history!
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.
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.
Travels of the Ridgelys

The wealth of the Ridgely family allowed for many extensive world travels.
History & Culture
History & Culture

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