Editing Hampton, Maryland (section)

==History==
In ancient times, the land was frequented by [[Susquehannock]] Indians, who used what became nearby [[Joppa Road]] as a trail. The area now known as Hampton was originally part of a land grant given to a relative of [[Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore|Lord Baltimore]] in 1695.<ref name=Arcadia /> His heirs sold the land on April 2, 1745, to [[Colonel (U.S.)|Col.]]&thinsp;[[Charles Ridgely (colonel)|Charles Ridgely]] (1702&ndash;72), a tobacco farmer and trader. In the latter half of the 18th century, the [[Hampton National Historic Site|Hampton Mansion]] was built by the Ridgely family, who used the surrounding land for farming, including apple orchards and the breeding of thoroughbred race horses, along with slave quarters.

Succeeding generations of Ridgelys continued to own the land until 1929, when the Hampton Development Company was formed and the land around the Hampton Mansion was subdivided, creating the modern Hampton community. The Hampton Mansion continued to be owned by the Ridgely family until 1948, when the house and the remaining {{convert|43|acre|m2}} of the Ridgely estate were designated a [[national historical park|National Historic Site]] and sold to a preservation trust, eventually to be acquired and now operated by the [[National Park Service]].<ref name=Arcadia>{{cite book|author=Ann Milkovich McKee|title=Images of America &mdash; Hampton National Historic Site|publisher=Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7385-4418-2}}</ref>

In 1958, the [[Towson United Methodist Church]] completed construction of its large [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]]-style sanctuary with a 235-foot (72 m) spire on {{convert|16|acre|m2}} of land in Hampton.<ref name=Arcadia /> In 2008, the church announced plans to sell a {{convert|5|acre|m2|adj=on}} outparcel of undeveloped, wooded property to a developer for construction of a senior housing complex.<ref name=sale>{{cite news |author=Laura Barnhardt |title=Hampton residents fight development |publisher=[[The Sun (Baltimore)|The Baltimore Sun]]  |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2008-02-18-0802180141-story.html |date=February 18, 2008  
|access-date=September 23, 2019 }}</ref> A zoning change application was submitted to Baltimore County to increase density to 16&nbsp;residential units per acre. However, the Hampton Improvement Association, representing neighborhood residents, objected, saying they "oppose zoning changes that would allow higher density residential development and require trees to be knocked down".<ref name=sale /> The church subsequently dropped plans for the development, saying it wished to remain a good neighbor.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Loni Ingraham |title=Developer drops plan for Hampton Lane |publisher=Towson Times |date=2008-03-12 }}</ref> The church now has a walking path in the forested area for meditation, open to the public during daylight hours.