May 15th, 2019 - Timonium
On the 3rd Wednesday of May, a fellow Brother Knight, Jack Blinke, stood before a crowded room to talk about one of the hidden secrets of the Towson area, the Hampton Mansion.
Construction first started on the mansion in 1783, and was continuously lived in by the family until 1948. It survived the War of 1812, the Civil War, as well as the boom and busts of the United States in the 20th century.
The Hampton Mansion is also the best preserved Georgian-style architecture, being the first site selected as a National Historical Site for its architectural significance by the U.S. National Park Service.
Sir Knight Jack Blinke has been a tour guide (docent) at Hampton Mansion since 2011, after a friend visited the site and suggested he work there. Being a historian by training, and having a career in education administration, the mansion serves as a way to put his skills and knowledge to good use.
Hampton became an interest as a "return to the classroom" which he loved. He generally give tours on Sunday afternoons and special occasions e.g. the "Holidays at Hampton" and Harvest Day
The Mansion itself is open Thursday through Sunday 9 am - 4 pm, with tours of the mansion running at 10:00 am, 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, and 3:00 pm. The guided tours are limited to 15 people, so its best to plan ahead when visiting. If going with a group of 10 or more, the National Park Service suggests calling ahead of time.
Being a National Park Service site, the entrance fee to see this nearly 300 year old house is $0.00.
While the main draw is the house, the entire site consists of 62.4 acres of land with gardens, ice cellars, greenhouses, and other early American farm facilities, including slave quarters.
If you're planning a visit, let Sir Knight Jack know, and he'll be more than happy to provide his patented 2 hour tour (normal tours are about 45 minutes).