Stables

The stables buildings during the fall.

NPS/Tim Ervin

Quick Facts

Location:

Towson, MD

Significance:

The Ridgely's were known for their thoroughbred horses. Their race horse industry, driven by slavery, made Maryland one of the premier horse racing centers in the country.

Amenities

5 listed

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

Hampton was famous for horses. For almost two hundred years, horses and equestrian activities played a major role on the Hampton estate. In the 1740s, Colonel Charles Ridgely served as a member of the newly founded Maryland Jockey Club and passed on his love of horses to his son. The Ridgely family began to breed and racehorses in the late 1700s, before the mansion was built.

Later, as owners of some of the finest Thoroughbreds in America, the Ridgelys were in part responsible for Maryland’s reputation as the center of American racing in the early 19th century.The racing and breeding of Thoroughbred horses reached its height at Hampton under Governor Charles Carnan Ridgely, and stables began to be constructed to support this purpose.

Stable #1 was a two-story, stone-walled building built in 1805 on the west side of Stable Drive. The exterior was finished with scored stucco to match the Mansion. The stable housed prized racing horses as well as stable hands and jockeys who worked with them. Stable #1 was remodeled in the mid-1800s to reorient the central hall from north/south to east/west. During this remodel, the tack room was converted to stalls, increasing the original five stalls to thirteen. Modeled after Stable #1, Stable #2 was constructed in 1857 but finished with exposed stone. The stable had pyramidal roofs topped with wooden cupolas. The interior of Stable #2 was divided into one open stall and several box stalls. Historically, both Stable #1 and Stable #2 housed horses on the first floor, and the second floor was used for hay storage.