CHARLES COUNTY, Md. — For thousands of children across Southern Maryland, Dolly Parton’s influence arrived quietly through the mailbox.
The package was not a record or a photograph of the country music icon. Inside was a book selected for a young reader, addressed to the child by name and delivered at no cost to the family.
That monthly moment became Parton’s most tangible connection to Southern Maryland — a connection that will continue following her death Tuesday at age 80.
Parton died peacefully in Nashville, Tennessee, according to an announcement on her official website. Although generations knew her through songs including “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You,” families throughout the region also knew her name through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
The early-literacy program has reached children in Charles and St. Mary’s counties, helping families create home libraries one book at a time.
More Than 100,000 Books In Charles County
The Imagination Library of Charles County operates through a partnership involving the Charles County Public Library, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and the Southern Maryland Regional Library Association.
Children younger than 5 who live in Charles County may receive a new, age-appropriate book in the mail each month. Families can choose between an English collection and a bilingual English-Spanish collection.
By July 2025, the local program had mailed more than 100,000 books to Charles County children, according to the library. More than 5,400 children had enrolled since the program’s launch.
Each delivery represented more than a new story. It offered parents another opportunity to read with their children, helped young readers become comfortable with books and allowed families to build personal collections regardless of their income.
“This milestone is a testament to the incredible support from our community and the unwavering belief in the power of books to shape young minds,” Charles County Public Library Executive Director Kenneth Wayne Thompson said when the program announced the milestone in 2025. “The Imagination Library is a shining example of how CCPL creates opportunities for our community to engage, discover, and learn … one story at a time.”
The Charles County program is managed locally by the public library. Funding comes from the library, grants, corporate sponsors and community donors, while the Dollywood Foundation handles national operations such as book selection and distribution.
A Literacy Partnership In St. Mary’s County
Parton’s literacy mission also reached families in St. Mary’s County through a locally sponsored Imagination Library program.
The Victoria Russell Foundation lists St. Mary’s County as one of two Maryland communities where it sponsors an Imagination Library. According to the foundation, enrollment is limited based on the amount of funding raised during the previous year.
The local program follows the same central idea: Give children free, high-quality books from birth through age 5 and help them develop a relationship with reading before they enter kindergarten.
Unlike a conventional book drive, the Imagination Library sends books directly to children’s homes. The child’s name appears on the package, turning each delivery into something personal.
Although the books carry Parton’s name, the Southern Maryland programs rely on partnerships. Local libraries, nonprofit organizations, businesses and donors help make the monthly deliveries possible, while the Dollywood Foundation supplies the infrastructure supporting the international program.
Inspired By Her Father
Parton established the Imagination Library in 1995 to serve children in her home county in East Tennessee. The program was inspired by her father, Robert Lee Parton Sr., who never learned to read or write.
What began with an initial order of slightly more than 1,700 books expanded far beyond Tennessee. The program now sends more than 3 million books each month to children around the world, according to the Imagination Library.
Parton’s official biography states that the program has distributed more than 300 million books since it began.
The effort became a defining part of her philanthropic legacy. Parton often spoke with pride about the program because it honored her father while giving children opportunities that were unavailable to him.
Her family has asked that donations in her memory be directed to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
A Legacy That Will Keep Arriving
Parton never lived in Southern Maryland, and there is no indication that she maintained a personal residence or lasting entertainment venture in the region.
Her connection here was instead built through partnerships — and through books.
It can be measured in more than 100,000 deliveries in Charles County, in the children reached through the St. Mary’s County program and in the home libraries that grew one package at a time.
Long after the tributes fade and her songs finish playing, more packages bearing Parton’s name may continue arriving at Southern Maryland homes.
Inside each will be another story, another opportunity for a family to read together and another piece of the legacy she leaves behind.
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