Ridgely Family Cemetery

Historic photograph of the Ridgely family cemetery.

NPS

Quick Facts

Location:

Towson, MD

Significance:

The final resting place of the many Ridgely family members who owned the Hampton Plantation

Amenities

4 listed

Accessible Sites, Cellular Signal, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Wheelchair Accessible

With the Ridgely Family Vault at its center, the cemetery is enclosed by a rectangular brick wall built in 1818. Each generation of Hampton’s owners, many of their children and spouses, as well as two close family friends, were buried in the Ridgely family cemetery. The headstones marking their graves were usually granite, and varied in architectural styles from Gothic to Celtic and provide insight into the people who lived at Hampton. Only two non-family members are buried in the Ridgely family cemetery: Nancy Davis, formerly enslaved by the Ridgelys and later a paid servant, and Selena Devlin, a paid servant of the Ridgelys.

Ridgely Family Vault

The Ridgelys built their Family Vault in the Egyptian Revival or Greek Revival style, likely between 1810 and 1820. Designed by Baltimore architect Robert Cary Long, Sr., it is believed to have been constructed near or over the graves of Captain Charles (d. 1790) and Rebecca Ridgely (d. 1812). Located at the southeast corner of the property, the vault consisted of three marble walls and one brick wall. A brick walkway surrounded the structure and another walkway, which led to the entrance on the north façade, is evident in historic photographs from the 1930s. Ornamental plantings flanked the walkway and entrance to the Vault. Inside, the structure opened up to a vaulted space holding thirty-two graves, with burials dating from 1814 to the twentieth century.