Preston in Caroline County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Webb Cabin

Living Free

— Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway —

Webb Cabin marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, October 29, 2014

1. Webb Cabin marker

Inscription. Common in the mid-19th century, this cabin is a rare survivor today. James H. and Mary Ann Webb built this one-room house in the 1850s, using materials found in the surrounding landscape. Hand-hewn log walls rest on a foundation of ballast stones from ships that plied the Chesapeake Bay. The interior has fireplace, a root cellar, and a loft. It is typical of homes occupied by both free and enslaved blacks, including Harriet Tubman’s parents, Ben and Rit Ross, who lived nearby at Poplar Neck.

As a free man, James Webb was forced to purchase the freedom of his wife and their children. The free family farmed their land while living in a community dependent on slavery. Roughly seventy percent of blacks in Caroline County were free; to the south, in Dorchester County, about half were. The Webb’s home was located with the Underground Railroad’s network to freedom.

Erected by America's Byways; Maryland Heritage Area Authority. (Marker Number 28.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, and the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom series lists.

Location.

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38° 45.348′ N, 75° 53.586′ W. Marker is in Preston, Maryland, in Caroline County. Marker is on Grove Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 23459 Grove Rd, Preston MD 21655, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Charles Dickenson (approx. 0.9 miles away); Colonel William Richardson (approx. 2.9 miles away); Mt. Pleasant Cemetery (approx. 3 miles away); Mt. Pleasant M. E. Church (approx. 3 miles away); Site of Frazier’s Chapel (approx. 3.1 miles away); Preston (approx. 3.1 miles away); Leverton House (approx. 3½ miles away); “Sailing Away to Freedom” (approx. 3.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Preston.

Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 3, 2022

2. Webb Cabin Marker

Photographed By Don Morfe, October 29, 2014

3. Webb Cabin marker

Webb Cabin front side image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, October 29, 2014

4. Webb Cabin front side

Webb Cabin-Water pump image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, October 29, 2014

5. Webb Cabin-Water pump

Webb Cabin-Rear side image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, October 29, 2014

6. Webb Cabin-Rear side

Cabin Interior image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, January 19, 2018

7. Cabin Interior

The Fluharty Family<br>Cabin Owners, 1928-1995 image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, January 19, 2018

8. The Fluharty Family
Cabin Owners, 1928-1995

The Cabin was generously
donated in 1995 by
David L. and Geraldine T. Fluharty
for preservation in honor of
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Fluharty
and their descendants.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 5, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 1, 2014, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 720 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 1, 2014, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 2. submitted on September 5, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 1, 2014, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 7, 8. submitted on January 22, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.