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Present Floor Plan, Second Story, Hampton Mansion.

Second Story Hall

Containing the finest architectural detail inside the Mansion, the second story hall is
entered at the top of the stairs through engaged fluted columns supporting an entabla-
ture of the Doric order embellished with triglyphs and metopes in the frieze. Each of the
ten doors is crowned with a broken pediment. Four storage closets are built into the hall
with wooden pegs at hanging level. These closets were used originally to store the cloaks
of guests, while later generations of Ridgelys stored out-of-season clothing in them. To-
day the closets have been adapted for exhibition space.

Second Story Rooms

The second story originally contained six large, principal bedchambers. Because it was
the warmest and sunniest room, the southwest chamber was reserved for the master and
mistress.

The central chambers of the second story each have double doors which open onto
the upper porticoes. When not needed as bedchambers, they were used as reception
rooms. These two chambers have no fireplaces, but after about 1850, heat was supplied
through ducts from the basement furnace.

The southeast bedchamber was reduced in the 19th century to provide a small pas-
sage to the backstairs. The smaller bedchamber was then used as a nursery and later
divided to create space for a bathroom.

The height of the overmantels in the northwest and southwest bedchambers and their
elaborate architectural detail give them great elegance. The overmantels of the two east
bedchambers are short, with pediments immediately above the shelves and little decora-
tive treatment.