National Park Service centennial - Hampton Historic Site

Completed in 1790, "Hampton," just north of Baltimore, had close ties with two Howard County grand homes.  Two Dorsey sisters from "Belmont," near Elkridge, married Charles Ridgely the builder of Hampton, and his nephew & heir Gov. Charles Carnan Ridgely.  Gov. and Priscilla Dorsey Ridgely's daughter Prudence married Gov. George Howard and they lived at "Waverly" in Marriotsville.


The National Park Service (NPS), signed into being by President Woodrow Wilson on Aug. 25, 1916, will celebrate by having free admittance from August 25th through the 28th to all 412 national parks.  The NPS operates Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Hampton and many other sites in Maryland and the nation.  The house remained in the Ridgely family from 1790-1948, so it is filled with original family items.  It was designated a National Historic Site in 1948 and became part of the NPS in 1979.   Many original outbuildings such as a dairy, slave quarters, and barns survive, as does the "falls" (3 terraces or levels) with parterres of flowers.

Priscilla Hill and Caleb Dorsey Jr owned "Belmont" in Elkridge, two daughters married into the Ridgely family:

Rebecca Dorsey (1739-1812) married Capt. Charles Ridgely (1733-1790) who built the grand home, and since they had no children,  Charles Ridgely Carnan (1760-1829) a nephew who had married her younger sister Priscilla Dorsey (1762-1814) inherited... after changing his name to Charles Carnan Ridgely.

Their daughter Prudence Ridgely (1791-1847) married George Howard (1789-1846) in 1811 and lived at "Waverly" in Howard County.

POSTS on Hampton HERE

LINKS
Hampton
Fort McHenry
NPS centennial events

©2016 Patricia Bixler Reber
Forgotten history of Ellicott City & Howard County MD