Captain Ridgely’s father, Colonel Charles Ridgely, made his
fortune from the Northampton Furnace and Forge. His vast grounds
contained the natural resources necessary for pig iron
production including wood, limestone, and iron ore deposits. The
lumber heated the furnace and the heated limestone removed the
iron ore’s impurities. After the furnace melted the ore into pig
iron, the forge molded the pig iron into bars which the company
exported to England. Like other Maryland planters the family
also cultivated and exported their tobacco crop, although their
chief product was overwhelmingly pig iron. Colonel Ridgely’s
son, Captain Charles Ridgely, commanded the ship, Baltimore
Town, which sent these goods to London.1 The Revolutionary War
brought a change in the Ridgely’s clientele. “The Revolutionary
War created an expanding market for iron products and the
Northampton operations provided camp kettles, round shot varying
in size from two pounds to eighteen pounds, and cannon, also in
various sizes.” Prices also