03/17/2026
Four Escaped Slaves Bought Tiny Plots of Land in 1826 — And Built One of America’s First Free Black Towns
Freedom Needed More Than Escape
September 1826.
Four Black men—Wardell Parker, Ezekiel Parker, David Parker, and Hezekiah Hall—did something quietly revolutionary.
They bought land.
Not plantations.
Not estates.
Just small parcels ranging from half an acre to about an acre and a half.
The cost ranged from $8 to $24.
But those tiny plots of land meant something enormous.
They meant ownership.
They meant safety.
They meant a future that slavery could not reach.
The Birth of Timbuctoo
The land was located near Westampton Township, along the north bank of the Rancocas Creek.
The seller was a Quaker farmer named William Hilyard.
The region’s strong Quaker abolitionist influence made it one of the few places where formerly enslaved people could realistically buy land.
From those first purchases grew a community called Timbuctoo.
The name echoed the ancient African city of Timbuktu—a symbol of scholarship, trade, and Black cultural achievement.
Whether the founders chose the name or local Quakers suggested it, the message was powerful.
This community would be rooted in pride, history, and independence.
Building a Free Black Community
Timbuctoo wasn’t just a refuge.
It was carefully constructed.
Residents built:
Two churches
Two schools
A benevolent association that helped families in need
Homes, farms, and businesses
In 1834, Peter Quire and his wife Maria donated land for the African Union School.
The deed included a remarkable clause.
The school’s trustees must always be people of color who lived within ten miles.
Formerly enslaved people were creating legal protections to ensure Black leadership over Black education.
That was not survival.
That was nation-building.
King David of Timbuctoo
One of the original founders, David Parker, became the community’s most respected leader.
Local newspapers called him “King David.”
It wasn’t mockery.
It was respect.
He helped guide the settlement for decades, protecting the people and institutions that had grown from those first land purchases.
By 1860, Timbuctoo’s population had grown to about 125 residents.
When Slave Catchers Came
Freedom in America was never guaranteed.
Even in the North.
In December 1860, an infamous slave catcher named George Alberti arrived with armed men.
Their target was Perry Simmons, a man who had escaped slavery and built a life in Timbuctoo.
The slave catchers intended to drag him back to Maryland.
But they underestimated the community.
Residents armed themselves with axes, knives, and guns.
Led by David Parker, the people of Timbuctoo fought back.
The confrontation became known as the Battle of Pine Swamp.
According to the New Jersey Mirror, the slave catchers fled the area “as if old Satan was after them.”
They never captured Simmons.
The community had defended its freedom.
A Community That Endured
Timbuctoo continued growing through the 19th and early 20th centuries.
During the Great Migration, new Black families arrived, adding to the community’s population.
A cemetery in Timbuctoo still holds the graves of eight soldiers from the United States Colored Troops who fought during the American Civil War.
These men defended a nation that had not yet fully accepted them.
Rediscovering the Past
For many years, Timbuctoo’s story faded from public memory.
But archaeological work changed that.
In 2009, researchers from Temple University and the National Park Service began studying the site.
They uncovered over 15,000 artifacts, including:
Household pottery
Tools
Bottles ordered by mail
Children’s toys
These objects tell the story of ordinary lives lived with dignity and determination.
Recognizing Timbuctoo Today
In 2024, Timbuctoo became one of the first sites included in the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail.
A historical marker now stands in Westampton Township.
But the true monument isn’t the sign.
It’s the legacy.
What Timbuctoo Really Represents
Timbuctoo wasn’t just a place where enslaved people escaped.
It was a place where they built something permanent.
Four men started it.
Small plots of land.
A few dollars.
But what they created was far bigger:
A community.
A school.
Churches.
A defense against slave catchers.
A future for generations.
They weren’t waiting for freedom to be given.
They built it themselves—and when someone tried to take it back, they stood their ground.
That is the true story of Timbuctoo, New Jersey.
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