40° 0' 8.030" N   /   74° 48' 43.680" W

WESTAMPTON TOWNSHIP

BURLINGTON

55

NOTES

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We need to start this section with a huge and heartfelt Thank You to Mary Weston, one of the residents of Timbuctoo who offered us invaluable information and hospitality during our visit; and to her son Guy Weston, whose continued efforts to preserve the rich history of this place and promote its importance we deeply respect and appreciate.

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An unincorporated community in Westampton, the history of Timbuctoo traces back to 1826, when a group of formerly enslaved and freed Blacks were allowed to purchase plots of land from Quakers. They established homes, a school, church, and Beneficial Society, eventually gaining of a population of over 125 by the mid 19th century. Several Civil War troops are buried in the community's cemetery, and recent work has been completed to detail the site's history through interpretive panels and the large roadside sign we found for our journey.

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This was a really special visit, as we didn't have much of an idea how we would film the place— we knew it was the end cap to the song and deserved something special, but we weren't familiar enough with Timbuctoo itself to plan anything in advance. We brought along our (incorrect color) New Jersey flag, and as we arrived and had started to come up with an idea for the recording, one of the town's residents Mary came out to just "see what we were up to."

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Our conversation blossomed, and Mary proved to be a wealth of historical information about the place and a direct connection to the community's past. At one point she scuttled inside to fetch us printed history documents and cold waters, and seemed just so happy and exuberant that a random couple had stopped to pay some mind to this small wedge of land.

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We learned so much from our visit, got to see all the hard work Mary's son had put into making Timbuctoo a proper historic site, captured what we think is a pretty rad closing scene to our little travelogue, and even got to stomp out a few hundred pesky lanternflies.