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Acknowledgements
With sincere pleasure and gratitude, the author would like to thank those
who have helped to make Hampton's guidebook a factual, yet readable
reality. A significant amount of information about Hampton is already in
print, and, after sifting through both primary and secondary documenta-
tion, the author assumes full responsibility for any inadvertent mistakes.
First to be acknowledged is Theodore R. Bechtol, Jr., the horticulturist at Hampton
NHS. Ted researched and developed the chapter on the gardens, and has been an un-
failing source of material regarding Hampton's natural resources, as well as a knowl-
edgeable critic and enthusiastic supporter throughout the project.
I have benefitted most from the Ridgely family papers in the collection of the Mary-
land Historical Society. The Society graciously has allowed me to quote from these papers
and to utilize freely the material for this guidebook. I am extremely grateful for the advice
and expertise of their staff at the library and in the museum. Other vital information,
essential for Ridgely family documentation, has come from the Hall of Records, Mary-
land State Archives.
My appreciation also goes to other scholars who have contributed to the body of knowl-
edge available on the Ridgelys and Hampton, including Charles W. Snell, Anita E. Jones,
Anne C. Edmonds, William D. Hoyt, Jr., and Charles Peterson. James T. Wollon, Jr., A.I.A.,
read the architecture chapter and provided many invaluable suggestions, and Michael
F. TVostel, A.I.A., also supplied little-known information. Jane McGarry of Browne, Worrall
and Johnson, Inc., Architects, executed the drawings of the north door and the portico
windows. Margaret S. Keigler and Gail S. Smith assisted with genealogical and other neces-
sary research.
I am also grateful to Margaret Worrall, who managed and edited the guidebook project,
for making this a painless and exciting experience; to Site Manager Adam Karalius and
Superintendent Karen Wade for their support and review; and to Historic Hampton, Inc.,
and its many committees, for raising the funds for the guidebook and a multitude of other
projects, which assist the National Park Service in the preservation and interpretation
of Hampton National Historic Site.
Finally, I would like to offer my special thanks to John Ridgely, III, a never-ending source
of information and inspiration, a fitting patriarch in the Ridgely family tradition.
Lynne Dakin Hastings
Curator,
Hampton National Historic Site
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