Hampton NHS, Maryland

The Hampton National Historic Site is just the house and immediate outbuildings.  The original estate was a 1,500 acre tract that equals half the area of present-day Baltimore.  The land's wealth was in iron production and agriculture.  The elegant Georgian mansion was built just after the Revolutionary War in 1745 by the prominent Ridgeley family. The furniture and overall purpose of the mansion was to display their wealth.  A detail I found interesting was that celery was viewed as a delicacy.  They would put it on the center of the table to look fancy.