Keeping Timbuctoo Alive: Guy Weston’s Award-Winning Preservation Efforts

Guy Weston has not only safeguarded a crucial piece of New Jersey’s history, but has also deepened public understanding of the lives and achievements of Black residents during the antebellum and postbellum periods. His leadership, scholarship, and dedication to the community of Timbuctoo made him a truly deserving recipient of the 2025 Dr. Doris C. Carpenter Excellence Award, presented by Preservation New Jersey.

Mr. Weston’s fourth great-grandfather was among a small group of free African Americans who purchased land in what is now Westampton Township in 1829. The community of Timbuctoo was established in 1826, when Ezekiel Parker, Wardell Parker, David Parker, and Hezekiah Hall, each having escaped enslavement in Maryland, purchased land from a Quaker and founded a settlement. The community was later named after the historic West African city in present-day Mali.

At its height in the nineteenth century, Timbuctoo was home to more than 125 residents and included a school, and the Zion Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal African Church, ,  which included a cemetery. The community served as a refuge along the Underground Railroad. In 1860, residents successfully defended freedom seeker Perry Simmons from a slave catcher attempting to return him to bondage. This confrontation became known as the “Battle of Pine Swamp.”

In 2024, Timbuctoo was selected as one of the first 32 sites designated by the New Jersey Historical Commission as part of the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail, created to promote awareness and appreciation of Black history, heritage, and culture. In 2025, an official historical marker was unveiled near Rancocas Road and Church Street in Westampton.

Through Mr. Weston’s efforts, the site has been documented, protected, and brought into broader public awareness. As a preservationist, he focuses on historic Black cemeteries, including the Timbuctoo Cemetery, where the oldest gravestone dates to 1847, and Mount Moriah Cemetery near Mount Holly, where many of his ancestors are buried. He views cemeteries as vital repositories of genealogy, history, and culture. The Timbuctoo Historical Society, which he founded in 2019, obtained ownership of the Timbuctoo cemetery in 2021. Since 2017, he has served as a Visiting Scholar in the History Department at Rutgers University and served as editor of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Journal in from 2022  to 2025.

Once largely overlooked, the community’s legacy has been brought to wider attention through sustained research, advocacy, and public engagement. As chairperson of Westampton Township’s Timbuctoo Advisory Committee, and later as founder of the Timbuctoo Historical Society, Mr. Weston has led efforts to protect the cemetery, secure funding, and increase awareness of its historical significance.

His work has documented land ownership, institutions, resistance to enslavement, and the civic life of residents. He has translated this research into interpretive signage, educational curricula, and scholarly publications. These efforts have supported nominations to the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom and the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail, with a nomination to the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places currently in progress.

Highlights of his work include:

• Interpretive Signage: Designed and authored multiple signs at the cemetery, clarifying its origins, honoring U.S. Colored Troops, and recognizing early twentieth-century migrants.
• Curriculum Development: Collaborated with educators to create instructional materials on early free Black communities, presented at statewide workshops from 2022 to 2024.
• Scholarly Research: Authored more than a dozen articles, making primary historical documents more accessible.
• Public Outreach: Expanded awareness through a website, publications, and media coverage, including four features on CBS Philadelphia.

While significant progress has been made, challenges remain. Questions of long-term stewardship, funding, and municipal coordination continue to shape the future of this work. The historic area spans approximately 50 acres, much of it privately owned, and lies within an active residential neighborhood. Continued collaboration with local officials and community members will be essential to ensure that preservation efforts remain supported and sustained.

2026 is a year of major milestones. As the nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding, Timbuctoo will mark its own 200th anniversary. The bicentennial will be recognized by the Burlington County Historical Society with an exhibition highlighting two centuries of history. In addition to local events and programs, an anthology covering key moments from 1826 to the present will be published by History Press in the Fall under the title “New Jersey’s Timbuctoo: A Free Black Community Before the Civil War.

Mr. Weston’s work demonstrates how dedicated scholarship and community engagement can ensure that historically significant places are understood and sustained. Through his leadership, Timbuctoo has evolved into a site of public education and cultural significance, offering a model for future preservation and stewardship efforts.

About the Dr. Doris C. Carpenter Excellence Award

The Dr. Doris C. Carpenter Excellence Award honors an individual, organization, or project that advances a deeper understanding of New Jersey’s diverse populations, celebrating those whose work fosters awareness, inclusion, and respect for the state’s rich cultural heritage. Among her many achievements in education and advocacy, Dr. Carpenter made significant contributions to the preservation of buildings and structures important to New Jersey’s African American community. Her expertise and dedication have helped ensure that these culturally and historically significant sites are recognized, preserved, and celebrated. In 2020, she contributed her insight to the Emmy-nominated mini-documentary Saved or Lost Forever, reflecting her commitment to preserving stories that might otherwise be forgotten.