Historical marker to honor North Carolina’s first African American lawyer in Wilmington
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A new historical highway marker will honor Wilmington native George Lawrence Mabson, recognized as North Carolina’s first African American lawyer.
The North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers, along with the Old North State Medical Society and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, will unveil the marker Saturday, Aug. 15, during the 2026 Joint Annual Continuing Legal and Medical Conference in Wilmington.
Mabson was born in Wilmington around 1845. According to historical records cited by the organizations, he later made his way by sea to Boston, Massachusetts, where he lived in a boarding house run by a self-emancipated Black woman from Wilmington who also provided housing for abolitionists.
Mabson is believed to have received an education while in Boston. He later joined the Navy and served in the Union Army with Company G of the 5th Massachusetts Colored Cavalry Regiment from 1864 to 1865, rising from private to command sergeant.
After marrying Rosana Patterson in 1866, Mabson returned to Wilmington. He went on to serve in the North Carolina House of Representatives, the state Senate and the 1875 North Carolina Constitutional Convention.
Mabson graduated with the first class of Howard University’s law school in 1871 and was admitted to practice law in North Carolina that same year.
“George L. Mabson fearlessly paved the way for numerous attorneys of color to practice in this great state,” NCABL President Kimberly Moore said.
An indoor ceremony is scheduled from 3 to 3:30 p.m. at Hotel Ballast Wilmington, located at 301 N. Water St. The outdoor marker unveiling is scheduled for 3:40 p.m. on Market Street between 16th and 17th streets.
Moore and Leslie Cruickshank, a research historian supervisor and administrator with the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, are expected to give remarks.
The unveiling is being held as part of the Aug. 14-16 joint conference, which has the theme “Bridging Justice and Health: Collaborative Leadership in an Era of Uncertainty.”
The conference will also include discussions and presentations examining the intersection of legal advocacy, health care, race, democracy and civil rights.
