Mansion Tour

Hampton Mansion was constructed between 1783 - 1790. This five-part Georgian house was one of the largest and most ornate houses built in America when completed. The immense scale of the 24,000 square foot structure with unique Georgian design elements has major architectural importance.

Several dependencies and landscape features near the Mansion have survived from the late 18th to the early 20th century. These extant structures include a rare Ice House, Paint House, Smoke House, two Privies, two large stone Stables, the Falling Gardens, the walled Family Cemetery, two Greenhouses, Gardener's House, ornate wrought iron Entrance Gates, Garden Maintenance Building, Pump House, and 1910 Garage.

Hampton became the first National Park Service property in 1948 to be designated for its architectural significance.

The Home Farm, across Hampton Lane, represents the core of the estate that once supported life at Hampton Mansion.

Surviving structures include the Lower (Farm) House, two stone Slave Quarters, Log Structure, Ash House, Dairy, Long House/Granary, and Mule Barn, foundations for a Corn Crib and remnants of fields and meadows. The oldest extant building, the gambrel roofed Lower House, was constructed in the mid-18th century. The Ridgely family lived here while the Mansion was being built and again after the site became a National Park in 1948. In the intervening years, it was home to overseers and farm managers, and activities of the Home Farm were directed from this building.

Extensive furnishing plans document all aspects of each interior.  The vast object and related archival collections and historic photographs from the mid-19th -mid-20th centuries inform the installations.  Over 90% of objects on exhibit are original to Hampton and the Ridgely family.

The Mansion reflects the economic enterprises that created and sustained the family’s wealth, and the enslaved, indentured, and free people who kept the estate running. It vividly illustrates the interaction of diverse human communities and the major economic, political, and social influences such as the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, emancipation of slaves, and the development of new technologies.