The Posey Family

Runaway ad for Rebecca Posey, Baltimore Sun, August 26, 1852
Freedom Seeking ad for Rebecca Posey, Baltimore Sun, August 26, 1852.

NPS

Mark Posey was perhaps the highest ranking enslaved individual in the Hampton household prior to emancipation in 1864. As head waiter, he received special clothing, gifts, and perks, such as a “very good” yellow waistcoat that had belonged to his enslaver John Ridgely. Yet in 1852, his 15-year old daughter Rebecca chose to seek her freedom, despite the dangers involved. Rebecca was not returned and is documented as living in Baltimore City by the mid-1860s. During the Civil War, Mark himself also chose to seek his freedom along with his second wife Louisa Humphries Posey, their infant son, and several of her family members, though unfortunately the group was quickly returned. Mark Posey continued to work as a waiter in both hotels and private households in Towson after being freed.

 

Learn More!

  • A drawing of people at nighttime on a dirt road
    Freedom Seekers

    Learn all about people that would seek their freedom from Hampton.

  • African American man holding a wheelbarrow outside of the mansion
    Enslaved People

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

  • Enslaved workers working on the plantation farm by the overseer's house and slave quarters.
    Slavery at Hampton

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

  • An artist's depiction of an overseer in the fields watching the enslaved. With a whip behind back.
    Forms of Control

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

  • Artist depiction of the iron making process.
    Gruesome
    Working Conditions

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

  • African American Woman, Nancy Davis, and little white girl Eliza Ridgely
    Learn about more
    People of Hampton

    Hundreds of people lived, worked, and were enslaved at Hampton coinciding America's development as a nation. Explore more of their stories.

Last updated: March 18, 2024

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

535 Hampton Lane
Towson, MD 21286

Phone:

410-962-4290 (option 2)

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