Mary Louise Booth Webb
A lifelong legacy of education, heritage preservation, community engagement, and unity through sharing of cultural diversity.
October 8, 1924 –
Mary Louise Booth Webb grew up on her grandparents’ farm in Bryantown, Charles County, Maryland surrounded by a large German immigrant community who shared cultural exchanges related to farming. Her grandmother, Mellie Booth, a midwife, delivered her. In addition to farming, her grandfather, George Booth, was a blacksmith and owned a sawmill. Ms. Webb credits her grandmother with encouraging her to care, share, and love everyone and for teaching her the “Golden Rule”.
She attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church where her paternal grandparents purchased stained glass windows still on display today. She attended parochial school at St. Mary’s during an era of racial segregation.
Since she retired in 1980 as a Licensed Practical Nurse from D. C. General Hospital in Washington, D. C., she has devoted the last forty plus years to caring for others. Ms. Webb began working with school children with Mr. William Diggs in the 1970s. She is a founding member of Heritage House. For almost fifty years, Ms. Webb has shared local history and culture. Local students and adults have enjoyed her stories and anecdotes as well as the artifacts she used in her demonstrations including making chewing gum from swamp grass and traditional medicine derived from roots and bark.
She has been an active participant in the Southern Maryland area. Her volunteerism includes: The Board of Tourism, American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, Children’s Aid Society’s Board and volunteer for over thirty years, Antique Arts Association, Area Council on Aging, Board of Directors of Melwood, Board of Directors of National Colonial Farm in Accokeek. For over fifty years, Louise has been an active member of the African American Heritage Society of Charles County, Inc. Currently she serves as vice-president.
At the age of 89, she became an author with a book titled: Life on the Farm with Grandma and Grandpa. In 2017 she received the Unsung Freedom Fighters Award from the Charles County NAACP.
Additional Resources
Changing Landscapes in Southern Maryland by Southern Maryland Regional Library Association, Victoria L. Falcon
Note: Changing Landscapes in Southern Maryland can be found in the Library of Congress and the public libraries in Southern Maryland.
Women’s History Month Mary Louise Booth/ Mary Louise Booth Webb, Charles County Government. (7) Video | Facebook
Ninety-two year old author recalls yesteryear – The BayNet by Joseph Norris. August 1, 2017.
Freedom fighters inducted into NAACP branch’s hall of fame | Local News | somdnews.com
Wednesday, June 14, 2023 Charles County Historic Preservation Commission Meeting. Honoring Mary Louise Booth Webb. Page 7. 0e82b7e4-8dd6-11ed-9024-0050569183fa-8050fdd6-6998-469e-932a-7c98e9fbad51-1698762736.pdf (d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net)
