Rededication of Historic Maides Cemetery plaque includes contributions of Wilmington resident

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Historic Wilmington Foundation rededicated a plaque to Colonel Kathy King at the Historic African American Maides Cemetery near the Derick Davis Community Center on Thursday.

For the past several years, King had led efforts to clean up the cemetery.

Originally, the cemetery began as a family cemetery before quickly evolving into a community burial ground on the farm of James and Matilda Maides.

Having been related to the Maides, Kathy became passionate about the area, eventually finding more than two hundred death certificates indicating a loved one was laid to rest there.

Back in 2022, King explained to WWAY what the cemetery meant to her.

“A family member buried here, of whose grave I’ve lost track of,” Kathy said. “So I don’t know that I’ll ever find it, but I’m doing this in her honor and in honor of the Maides family.”

That family member? Her sister, Carolyn, who drowned at Topsail Beach.

For Kathy’s other sister, Margaret, returning to Maides was difficult.

“Because I haven’t been here since 1966, I was 4 years old, and that was when my sister Carolyn was drowned,” Margaret said.

Karla Berrios is the operations coordinator for the Historic Wilmington Foundation and worked alongside Kathy, saying it’s special being able to continue what she started.

“I just feel really honored that I got the chance to meet and that I get the chance to continue her work,” Berrios said. “So it really just makes it very personal for me, having met her and seeing how important this place was to her.”

Margaret said she could feel both of her sisters during the ceremony.

“It’s a lot because I just lost Kathy and so I’m feeling like both of them are right here with me. It was meant for me to be here, today, it was.”

Kathy died from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in January.

She was 70 years old.