Completed by Captain Charles Ridgely Jr. in 1790, following seven years of construction, Hampton Mansion (or Hampton House) was considered at the time to be the largest private home in America and continues to be a noted example of Georgian architecture. The mansion, located north of Towson (Baltimore County), Maryland, continued to be home to the Ridgely family until 1947, when it was acquired by a private foundation and opened to the public as a museum administered by the Society for the Preservation of Maryland Antiquities. In 1979, the mansion and grounds were acquired by the National Park Service, which manages the estate as Hampton National Historic Site.

Founder of the Ridgely family of Hampton, Colonel Charles Ridgely Jr. (1702-1772), son of Charles and Deborah Dorsey Ridgely, was born in Prince George's County, Maryland. In 1734, he moved to Baltimore, County, Maryland, where he engaged in agriculture, mercantile business, and iron-forging. Known as "Charles the Merchant," Ridgely married Rachel Howard and the couple would have seven children, five of whom survived to adulthood: John, Pleasance, Achsah, Charles III, and Rachel. Like his father, Captain Charles Ridgely III (1733-1790) engaged in agriculture and iron-forging. In 1790, Ridgely (also known as "Charles the Builder") completed construction of Hampton Mansion, which would continue to be home to his family for nearly 200 years.

As Charles Ridgely III and his wife, Rebecca Dorsey, had no children, the mansion was bequeathed to Ridgely's nephew, Charles Ridgely Carnan (1760-1829), on the condition that he adopt Ridgely as his surname. As heir of Hampton, Carnan/Ridgely expanded the size of the plantation, including its various agricultural, mining, milling, and mercantile interests. Carnan/Ridgely served as Baltimore County delegate in the Maryland House of Delegates (1790-1795), state senator (1796-1800) and as Maryland's governor (1815-1818). He and wife Priscilla Dorsey would have 14 children, and the ownership of Hampton and part of the surrounding estate was passed to their son, John Carnan Ridgely.

Born in 1790, John Carnan Ridgely continued to operate the Hampton plantation. In 1828, he married Eliza Eichelberger (daughter of Nichalas Greenbury Ridgely), a distant cousin, and the couple would have five children: Eliza, Charles, Priscilla, Nicholas, and Julia. Upon John Ridgely's death, their son Charles (1830-1872) and his wife Margaretta Sophia Howard Ridgely, would become owners of Hampton.

Charles and Margaretta Ridgely's son, John Ridgely, the fifth "master of of Hampton," was born in 1851. He married Helen West Stewart (1854-1929), a genealogist, antiquarian and writer. Together, the couple managed Hampton, bringing many updates to the mansion. Their son, John (1882-1959), became the last Ridgely to reside in the mansion. After graduating from the University of Maryland School of Law, he moved to St. Louis, where he worked for the Maryland Casualty Company. Later, Ridgely returned to Hampton but found it impossible to maintain the estate, which he sold in 1947.

Pauline Kirtley was born ca. 1902 in Maryland, the daughter of George and Beatrice Kirtley. From 1955 to 1972, she served as resident curator of Hampton House Museum. Pauline Kirtley married David L. McPherson, and the couple had two children.