2019-11-07 00:35:24
Grove Road Preston, MD 21655 www.carolinehistory.org/places/james-h-webb-cabin/
James H. Webb, a free African-American farmer, built this hand-hewn log home around 1852 and lived here with his enslaved wife and their four children – Charles, Elizabeth, John and Ann, and Webb’s father, Henry. The family were members of nearby Mount Pleasant Church. The one-room home, with its “potato hole,” open fireplace, and loft accessed by a crude ladder, was built of materials found nearby. It sits on its original ballast-stone foundation from ships that plied the Chesapeake Bay.
Typical of housing for most African Americans at the time, this cabin is a rare survivor today. It also represents the kind of housing that sheltered many poor white families during the early and mid-19th century. Harriet Tubman’s father and mother, Ben and Rit Ross, probably lived in a very similar structure at nearby Poplar Neck.
The lack of resources and primitive characteristics of such buildings have long precluded preservation of many structures like this one. Webb’s cabin has been preserved for generations and utilized for a variety of purposes. The structure is owned and maintained by the Caroline Historical Society and sits on a one-acre plot of land owned by Caroline County.
On site at the Webb Cabin, you will find a picnic area. The cabin interior is viewable from the door opening. When seasonally open to the public, guests can explore inside the cabin including the “potato hole”, which represents a place freedom seekers could have hidden.
In the area, on Todds Wharf Road, Outstanding Dreams Alpaca Farm offers unique, hand-made products, such as rugs, and knitted, crocheted and felted projects using sheared fleece. The public is invited to visit during wool shearing time.
Next Site
Head east on Grove Rd. Travel 1 mile. Turn left onto MD 16 E. Travel 2.2 miles. Just past the point where MD 16 and MD 578 merge, turn left onto Gilpin Point Rd. Travel 2.5 miles. Turn right onto Holly Park Dr. Travel 0.1 mile. Gilpin Point Landing will be on your left.
Previous Site
Head east on Grove Rd. Travel 1 mile. Turn right onto MD 16 W. Travel 1.5 miles. Jonestown Community Park is on the right.
Page numbers for sites on this map can be found on page 4 in the table of contents.
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Webb Cabin
https://digital.milespartnership.com/article/Webb+Cabin/3526422/632714/article.html