Hampton was called the "show-place" of Maryland, with nothing like it south of the Mason and Dixon's line. The mansion, completed in 1790 after Captain Charles Ridgely's country neighbors had mocked its construction in the 1780s as "Ridgely's Folly," was modeled on the great country houses of Britain and was one of the largest private residences in America. The imposing building expressed the success of the entrepreneur for whom it was built and stood at the highest point on the property, where its cupola provided family and guests a vantage point over the extensive estate while also improving ventilation and cooling inside. The site can be understood through the differing perspectives of its owners, paid laborers, and enslaved people. The mansion is one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture, emphasizing symmetry of plan, with a central block for the main living space, two service wings connected by hyphens, and two-story porticoes on the north and south facades.
