Events to honor historic Timbuctoo village

Reenactors with the Sixth Regiment U.S. Colored Troops will honor the dead Saturday with a gun salute at the Civil War cemetery in Timbuctoo, a historic village in Westampton that was a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Among other activities planned at Timbuctoo that day are talks by descendants of former slaves and free African Americans who lived in the Burlington County village in the mid-nineteenth century, and speeches by an archaeologist and historian who have researched the site.

"We have a jewel right here in Westampton Township and so many people are unaware of its existence," Mayor Carolyn V. Chang said.

The only visible remnant of the former settlement along the Rancocas Creek is the cemetery, which has about a dozen gravestones and sits at the foot of a grassy hill.

But Temple University's archaeological digs in 2010 and 2011 unearthed thousands of artifacts at the site, and a sampling will be on display, Chang said. Among them are a bronze button from the Civil War uniform of one of the soldiers, various pieces of china and utensils, and canning jars.

Children will be able to dig for some of the artifacts, which will be buried in a sandbox set up for the event, which will be held from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Guy Weston, whose ancestors purchased an acre in Timbuctoo in 1829 for $30, will discuss the findings of his genealogical research. Christopher Barton, an archaeologist who led the excavations, will speak about his findings and the role that home canning played in a community that at one time had more than 125 residents. Joyce Payne, a church historian with Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church in Burlington, will talk about how the church was founded in Timbuctoo in 1844 and the role it played in the community.

A choir from that church will also perform during Timbuctoo Day.

Hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, and drinks will be available for sale and picnic tables and chairs will be set up for visitors. The event is free.

Parking will be available only at the Holly Hills School, 800 Ogden Dr., Westampton. Shuttle buses will provide transportation to the event site on Church Road.