Timbuctoo, New York

Not to be confused with Timbuktu.
For other uses, see Timbuctoo (disambiguation).

Historic marker at the corner of Old Military Road and Bear Cub Road in North Elba

Timbuctoo, New York, was a mid-19th century farming community of African-American homesteaders in the remote town of North Elba, New York.[1] It was located in the vicinity of 44°13′N 73°59′W / 44.22°N 73.99°W / 44.22; -73.99, near today's Lake Placid village (which did not exist then), in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York.[2] Contrary to the information given out by donor Gerrit Smith, who said that the lots were in clusters,[3]: 11  they were spread out over an area 40 miles (64 km) north to south, and 15 miles (24 km) east to west.[4]: 18–19 

Timbuctoo has acquired a mythical status in the history of New York State. The name was given to the settlement many years after its inception, by John Brown.[5] The land is reforested and the exact location of the houses is unknown. While a historic marker was installed in July 2022, the settlement is not found on any local maps.[6][2] There are no surviving buildings nor known foundations of buildings. There are no known photographs. (One frequently seen was in fact not taken in New York State.) It is not even clear who came up with the name, which was not widely used. The only thing remaining is the restored (to its 1859 state) house of its farming instructor John Brown, in whose barn a permanent exhibit on Timbuctoo is installed. However, that farmhouse of the John Brown Farm State Historic Site had not yet been built; the rented house he and his family lived in was destroyed by fire in 1900.

The story of Timbuctoo—in the 21st century becoming the subject of artistic works[7]—is a tale of sin and redemption. An unfair, discriminatory measure—the imposition of a property qualification on black voters only—was to be made right by a saintly act, the wealthy Gerrit Smith's grand measure, giving black men he deemed worthy enough property (land) that they could vote. In theory, the project would have changed black urban wage workers into self-sufficient black land owners.[8]: 135–136  But the redemption was only partial. A lot of Smith's land was very remote. What was supposed to have been a healthful escape from disease-ridden cities ended up being a great deal of hard work felling trees in a very cold climate. Only one black settler family remained permanently.

  1. ^ Karlem; Baxter, Kirtrina (February 21, 2012). "The Quintessential Black Farmer: Dreaming of Timbuctoo". Groundswell Center for Food and Farming. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Nyt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Address was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Voices was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ MacKenzie, Mary (2007). "They Called It Timbucto?". In Manchester, Lee (ed.). The Plains of Abraham. Nicholas K. Burns. p. 167.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference marker was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Timbucto was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Race was invoked but never defined (see the help page).