Everything Under The Sun: Preserving the Hampton National Historic Site

Friday, December 16, 2016

Preserving the Hampton National Historic Site

Hampton Mansion at dusk.

For every tourist attraction, every historical site, there is a group of people who provide monetary support and upkeep for that building, its grounds, its accoutrements. At least for the Hampton National Historic Site, that group became formalized into a formal corporation that supports this site, HISTORIC HAMPTON INCORPORATED (HHI).

This organization supports and promotes all of the activities associated with the historic site, from educational to interpretive to scientific. Because it is a private organization, HHI doesn't receive any government funds, so it relies upon its fundraising initiatives and contributions from the general public.

In addition, HHI recently launched its Hampton Arts Initiative, which is designed to help artists to discover or rediscover Hampton as an historical site, gather creative inspiration and spread the word artistically. The hope is that more people may become aware of the resources at the site and cherish the historic and artistic tradition that has been embraced.

This past weekend, this historical site held a special event designed to bring in both local people and tourists to experience Hampton. The event brought in the atmosphere of a Christmas in 1790, with candlelight tours, crafts of the period, along with music and songs of the season.

Inside, the mansion showcased the regency era gala celebration, while a view of the farming area showed the celebration as affected by class and culture. The Orangery offered visitors a look at how the National Park Services has preserved the site, including the buildings, landscapes, and collections. Admission was entirely free, guaranteed to attract more visitors, and shuttle service was provided for when the site's parking lot overflowed.

The HHI is gearing up for a celebration in 2017, the 200th anniversary of Eliza Ridgely's harp. The Rigdely family were notable residents of Hampton mansion during the nineteenth century. Elizabeth Eichelberger married John Ridgely, the third owner of the mansion, and thus became part of the Ridgely family. Her harp, the Erard harp, was made specifically for her by Sebastian Erard in London, and it featured a unique double-action pedal mechanism.

The Erard harp, in its Music Room setting, decorated for Christmas.

Although a great effort has been made to preserve the harp and it is still on exhibit in the Music Room, it requires critical stabilization and conservation by experts. The harp column is actually leaning noticeably. So, HHI has been seeking private funds in order to provide the needed preservation work, since federal funds, due to continued austerity policies, are extremely limited.