Left to right, Breana James, Program Manager, Georgia Historical Society, and Mamie Hillman, Director, Greene County African American Museum.
Greensboro, GA, April 27, 2026 – The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) dedicated a new historical marker in Greensboro, Georgia, on April 26, 2026, recognizing Abram Colby, a formerly enslaved man who became a leader in Greene County and member of the Georgia General Assembly.
Unveiled in partnership with the Greene County African American Museum, the new marker commemorates Colby’s contributions in Greene County and his efforts to expand political and civil rights following emancipation. The dedication took place at the Greene County Courthouse and was attended by local officials, community members, and guests.
"Representative Abram Colby's story is not only a reminder of his leadership in Greene County and Georgia, but of Black political leadership during Reconstruction," said Breana James, Program Manager, Georgia Historical Society. "Colby and his peers were vital to the advocacy of African-American civil rights, fair labor, education, and more, while entrenched in an environment where many did not want them to and often violently opposed them."
Mamie Hillman delivering remarks during the historical marker dedication.
Abram Colby, born into slavery around 1820, rose to prominence in Greene County following emancipation and became a leader in the local Black community during Reconstruction. A member of the Georgia General Assembly, he was among the “Original 33,” the first 33 African-American men elected to the legislature in 1868 who were unlawfully expelled from office because of their race. Like many of his fellow legislators, Colby advocated for civil and political rights and later testified before Congress on political violence carried out by the Ku Klux Klan. He remained a target of that violence until his death in 1872.
“Representative Abram Colby needed—and deserved—a historical marker, as he never got the opportunity to fully realize his potential due to the era in which he was born," said Mamie Hillman, Director, Greene County African American Museum. "He and his family were never afforded a second chance. More than 157 years later, this marker ensures his legacy, and that of Georgia’s Original 33, is properly recognized.”
The historical marker was erected by the Georgia Historical Society and the Greene County African American Museum as part of GHS’s Historical Marker
Program, which offers the public an opportunity to learn our state’s history in the places where it happened.
Speakers included The Honorable Jontavis Smith, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Greensboro, Georgia; Pastor Beverly Williams; Joseph Nunnally; Lea O. Smith; Mamie Hillman, Director, Greene County African American Museum; Breana James, Program Manager, Georgia Historical Society; Pamela Colby, great-great granddaughter of Abram Colby; and Greer Brigham, researcher and historical marker applicant.
The historical marker reads:
Representative Abram Colby (c.1820–1872)
African-American leader Abram Colby represented Greene County’s Black community following emancipation. Under the US Southern Homestead Act (1866), Colby unsuccessfully applied for land in Arkansas to relocate Greene County African-American citizens. Colby later advocated for Black education and fair labor contracts. Elected a Republican state representative in 1868, Colby and his fellow Black legislators were expelled because of their race. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) targeted Republicans who supported Reconstruction and assaulted Colby in a near-fatal attack. In White v. Clements (1869), the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed African Americans’ right to hold political office, reinstating Colby’s seat. In 1871 Colby testified about the KKK’s political terrorism in the South before a federal congressional committee, leading to the prosecution of KKK members and shifting public perception. Colby was targeted until his death in 1872.
Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and the Greene County African American Museum
For additional details about the Georgia Historical Society, please contact Keith Strigaro, Director of Public Relations and Communications, at 912.651.2125, ext. 153, or by email at kstrigaro@georgiahistory.com.
###
ABOUT THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia and American history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation.
To learn more visit georgiahistory.com.
ABOUT THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL MARKER PROGRAM
The Georgia Historical Marker Program is an important part of the Georgia Historical Society’s (GHS) statewide educational mission. Through a public-private partnership with the State of Georgia, GHS is responsible for erecting new historical markers and maintaining more than 2,000 markers installed by the State prior to the program’s privatization in 1998. Online mapping tools allow users to explore themed marker trails and design custom driving routes. Visit georgiahistory.com for more ways to use Georgia’s historical markers and experience history where it happened.