April 14

One of the most famous places in our country’s history was the starting point of today’s trek. Fort McHenry is known for stopping the advance of the British on Baltimore during the War of 1812, which resulted in Francis Scott Key writing the song which in 1931 was made America’s national anthem. The star fort looks great after all these years. And the VC is wonderful. Access to the fort off I-95 is quick and easy (exit 55… you will see the signs). There are three levels in the fort which visitors can stroll; the main parade ground level with access to the fort buildings, the outer wall area which gives access to the outer gun platforms, and the upper wall level behind the inner buildings (can look down on the outer wall). A flag raising is held at 10 AM each day, to raise the 15-star flag. Some days volunteers are on the grounds demonstrating activities from the period (cooking, clothing, etc.). Inside the fort one can go in some of the buildings. A line of cannons catches one’s eyes, as does the large cannon ball in the middle. It was fired from one of the British ships during the battle. Another wonderful artifact is the cross-brace which held the flagpole, which flew the famous flag (resides at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.) that Key saw that morning, flying above the fort. An archeological dig uncovered the brace in 1958. So, be sure to go into each open building because you never know what you will miss.

The VC has a movie, about 15-minutes in length, depicting the battle and the account of Key. For those who have not been to this park, I will not spoil the ending… just be sure to watch the movie.

There are trails along the water line, and across the park to buildings such as the Civil War Powder Magazine, but the main draw for visitors is the star fort itself. One can easily be forgiven if they only tour the fort.

EZ-Pass is needed on I-95 to take the Fort McHenry Tunnel, going under the Patapsco River. This path is the quickest means to arrive at Hampton NHS. One can take I-83 out of the downtown Baltimore, but you first have to work your way through downtown to get to the on-ramp. Chris suggested this would be the best means, and Google Maps agreed with him. Chris, a fellow NPTC member who came to the park to meet me on my Quest, is welcome to provide directions for me at any time in the future. Granted, he lives in the Baltimore area, but he has traveled the country.

Hampton’s VC and Bookstore are at the bottom of the hill which leads up to the famous Ridgely Mansion. If you are interested in either the 10 AM or 3 PM tour of the mansion, you must stop at the VC to get tickets. They are free, but a limited number are available, so a good idea to arrive early. The inside is gorgeous. The Ridgely family wanted their home to be similar to the great houses of Europe. The Gold Room was created after a visit to Versailles. Get the idea? The family built an Orangery, so they could grow orange trees and have freshly squeezed orange juice in the middle of winter. An ice cellar in the front year provided the means to make ice cream in the summer. The house itself was deemed the largest private residence in the county in 1790. During the height of the Ridgely family dynasty the mansion oversaw 25,000 acres of plantation, farms, and iron works. This was about 1/2 of the county. The iron industry is where the Ridgelys saw their greatest growth and revenue. But the fortune was amassed on the backs of indentured servants and later slaves. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 allowed the Ridgelys to move strictly to slave labor. Over 450 slaves were owned by the Ridgely family. The tour of the “Lower House” area, down the hill from the mansion, gives more insight as to the plight of the enslaved people. The Overseer House still stands, as does two stone houses from the 1700s where slaves, and in the late 19th century, tenants lived. One wooden structure which housed slaves is also behind the Overseer House. But it one looks out from the front porch of the mansion, it cannot be seen. Ranger Dustin explained that the Ridgelys did not want to see “lower status” wood buildings from their hilltop, only higher-class stone structures. Things had to “look good”. The dairy building was innovative, in that water from a ground spring was fed into the bottom of the building, then the flow separated in two directions to surround the central work area. This allowed for automatic cooling of milk and butter as they were made. The structure’s walls seemed to be a good one-foot thick of solid material, with a thick roof. The inside was quite cool compared to the 85F deg on the outside.

The main emphasis at the Lower House area is the story of the enslaved peoples whom the Ridgelys made suffer. Without their labors, the fortunes of the Ridgelys would not have been realized. What a terrible thing to do to create wealth. When slavery was outlawed following the Civil War, the Ridgely fortune dried up, literally. They had to start paying wages to people, and revenues did not keep up with costs. The iron industry had moved to big corporate entities with no room for smaller producers. By the 20th century the Ridgely family had little more than the mansion. And in 1948 that was sold to a non-profit organization so it could be deeded to the NPS. The last Ridgely of the six-generation dynasty moved down to the Overseer House, the same building which his great-great-great-great-grandfather had first built in the mid-1700s when starting the plantation.