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Timbuctoo was a farming colony of African American homesteaders in the town of North Elba in the 1840s. [1]It was located where Lake Placid is today in the Adirondack mountains in Upstate New York. [2] African Americans also settled in areas known as Negro Brook near Bloomingdale, and Blackville near Loon Lake, New York.

In 1846 New York State enacted a law that required free black men to own real estate worth at least $250 or a house in order to be able to vote. This restriction only applied to free black men. Gerrit Smith a wealthy abolitionist and land owner gave away 120,000 acres of land to black people in 40 acre lots. The plots were given to 3,000 black New Yorkers. It was set up to create rural land ownership and self-sufficiency for black people, and as an alternative to urban city life. It would also give black males the right to vote. It was an alternative response to the influx of Irish and white immigrants competing for urban employment. [3][4][5][6][7]The development of Timbuctoo was a land reform and voting rights plan by Gerrit Smith. [8][9]

Gerrit became involved in the anti-slavery movement. In 1836 Gerrit Smith became president of the New York Anti-Slavery Society. His estate in Peterboro was a station for the underground railroad. He was elected to Congree in 1853 as the Free-Soil candidate for the Free Soil Party. The Free Soil Party's purpose was opposition to the expansion of slavery into Western territories. He advocated for free men on free soil. [10] Timbuctoo was a social experiment that became known as 'Timbuctoo'.

Frederick Douglass worked with Smith to promote the land distribution and recruitment to North Elba.[11] [12] [13] Brown is known for the raid on Harper's Ferry.

In 1848 John Brown moved his family to North Elba to support the development Timbuctoo.[14] [15] Gerrit Smith was a supporter of John Brown's antislavery activities. Gerrit Smith was accused of supplying John Brown with guns for the 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry. [16][17]

In 1848 Gerrit Smith gave Willis Hodges a free black from Virginia 200 acres to settle in the Loon Lake area with 10 families. The named it Blacksville. The community was disbanded after two winters due to harsh conditions. By 1855 the experiment was over. Lyman Epps was one of survivors of the Timbuctoo project. His family lived in the area for over 100 years. The last member of the Epps family, Lyman Epps Jr died in 1942.[18]

In 2001 there was an exhibition called John Brown "Dreaming of Timbuctoo" which opened at the Adirondack Museum. The exhibit documents the story of the Black homesteaders that were given land in the Adirondacks in the mid-1840s [19][20][21][22]

In 2016 the John Brown Farm became the permanent home of the “Dreaming of Timbuctoo” exhibition.[23]

There is an annual Blues at Timbuctoo festival in Lake Placid. The festival is held at the historic John Brown Farm. It is presented by Jerry Dugger, and by the organization John Brown Lives. The festival is a combination of blues music and conversation around race relations. The festival was launched in 2015. Martha Swan is the executive director of John Brown Lives.[24] [25]

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See Also

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References

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  1. ^ https://groundswellcenter.org/the-quintessential-black-farmer-dreaming-of-timbuctoo/
  2. ^ Christian, Nichole M. (19 February 2002). "North Elba Journal; Recalling Timbuctoo, A Slice of Black History". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2018-07-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-08-04. Retrieved 2018-07-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ Christian, Nichole M. (19 February 2002). "North Elba Journal; Recalling Timbuctoo, A Slice of Black History". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "New Book: Blacks in the Adirondacks - New York Almanack". 31 December 2017.
  7. ^ "Black History in Saranac Lake". 31 January 2020.
  8. ^ "Aboard the Underground Railroad-- John Brown Farm and Gravesite".
  9. ^ "John Brown Farm, North Elba, New York - New York History Net".
  10. ^ "Home".
  11. ^ "Dreaming of Timbuctoo".
  12. ^ "Take 2 of 'Dreaming of Timbuctoo'".
  13. ^ "Black History in Saranac Lake". 31 January 2020.
  14. ^ "John Brown "Dreaming of Timbuctoo" exhibition at Whallonsburg Grange July 3-9". 5 June 2019.
  15. ^ "The History of Timbuctoo: An African-American Hamlet in the Adirondacks".
  16. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2018-08-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. ^ http://www.upstatehistorical.org/items/show/53
  18. ^ "The History of Timbuctoo: An African-American Hamlet in the Adirondacks".
  19. ^ "African American History in the Adirondacks". 11 October 2016.
  20. ^ "NCUGRHA - People & Places - Essex County".
  21. ^ "Take 2 of 'Dreaming of Timbuctoo'".
  22. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2018-08-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. ^ "Parks & Trails New York :: Celebrating Juneteenth and Timbuctoo".
  24. ^ "A Musical Conversation: Blues at Timbuctoo Fest returns to Lake Placid". 5 June 2019.
  25. ^ "Paul Smith's College VIC -- Dreaming of Timbuctoo Traveling Exhibition | 29 July - 10 September 2012".
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