Colonel Charles Ridgely

A historic print showing what Baltimore looked like in 1752. — Print: Baltimore in 1752.
Courtesy, Maryland Historical Society

Colonel Charles Ridgely (1702-1772) was a prosperous merchant in Baltimore Town. He was also a planter who in the 1740s and 1750s expanded his landholdings in Baltimore and Anne Arundel Counties. In 1760, Colonel Ridgely purchased a tract twelve miles north of Baltimore Town for the purpose of establishing an ironworks. He operated the Northampton Ironworks in partnership with his sons, John and Charles Ridgely, Jr., and continued to conduct a commercial shipping business between the American colonies and England.

Individuals

Captain Charles Ridgely

The owner who commissioned the building of the Hampton mansion.
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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.

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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.
Slavery at Hampton

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

Indentured servants were not willing laborers and the working conditions at Northampton Furnace was grueling.
Gruesome
Working Conditions

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

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

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