Outbuildings

Hampton was never merely a house, nor are the Mansion, its collections, and
the surrounding gardens the sole survivors of its illustrious past. Hampton
was the true dichotomy of elegant estate and working plantation bound
together as an interdependent unit. Although the Ridgelys owned several
other houses and spent part of each year in Annapolis or Baltimore, Hampton was the
family's principal estate and family seat.

Today 23 historic outbuildings remain on the site, remnants of this close-knit commu-
nity. Among the surviving structures are those adjacent to the Mansion, several garden
support structures, stables, and a group of farm buildings. In addition, one building, the
Orangerie, has been reconstructed, and the foundations of several other buildings are
being protected. The Ridgely family cemetery, located on the southeast side of the
estate, was provided for in the will of Charles Ridgely the Builder, and six generations
of Hampton's masters and their families are buried there.

The surviving outbuildings, often called dependencies, offer only a glimpse of Hamp-
ton's once village-like aspect during its most flourishing period. Each of the dependen-
cies, and those no longer extant such as a blacksmith's shop, carpenter's shop, bath house
and wash house, served essential functions within the total operation. The success of
the estate and plantation depended on the interrelationship of the main house and its
subordinate structures.

An important document in relating the history of the outbuildings is a map of the Hamp-
ton property executed by Joshua Barney in 1843 for John Ridgely. This map shows many
structures which are no longer present and others which were replaced with modem
buildings in the ensuing 100 years. The locations of over 35 buildings in the immediate
environs are identified.

The Mansion Perimeter

Many of the dependencies were not
only practical but architecturally decora-
tive as well. Primary among these was the
Orangery. (The French spelling "Oran-
gerie" is adopted for referring to the
reconstructed building after 1976.)

Orangeries, although not labelled as
such, date to the Roman Empire when
sheets of mica were used for glazing. By
the 14th century, heated buildings could
provide an artificial environment for grow-
ing exotic plants. This was the forerunner

The Orangerie was reconstructed in 1976 on the
foundations of the original classical revival struc-
ture, which burned in the 20th century.

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