RV history teachers contribute to awareness of Timbuctoo

The village of Timbuctoo in Westampton has recently been added by the New Jersey Historical Commission to the Black Heritage Trail. Established by the state in 2022, the Black Heritage Trail is important “to promote awareness and appreciation of Black history, heritage and culture” and “highlight Black heritage sites through historical markers and a trail-like path that connects the stories of Black life and resiliency.” The increased visibility of Timbuctoo is something Rancocas Valley Regional High School teachers Cheryl Alspach-Cliver and Neshea Thomas celebrate; they have been involved in efforts to increase education about Timbuctoo since 2017.

Alspach-Cliver and Thomas deepened their knowledge of Timbuctoo at a 2017 Rutgers University Global Timbuktu Symposium, which made connections between the Westampton community, Timbuctoo in upstate New York and the African city of Timbuktu. The local representative at the symposium was Guy Weston, a descendant of 1829 Timbuctoo settlers and chair of Westampton Township’s Timbuctoo Advisory Committee.

Weston involved the teachers in a curriculum development project to teach about Timbuctoo and other antebellum free black communities in Burlington County schools. Also involved were Westampton Middle School social studies teachers JoAnn Donnelly, who was Weston’s first collaborator, as well as Cristina Burrows and Jennifer Perry.

Funded by a grant from the Burlington County Division of Parks Cultural and Heritage Affairs, the curriculum project earned the Division of Parks’ 2020 History Award in the category of Education.
Alspach-Cliver and Thomas have incorporated the Timbuctoo curriculum into their U.S. History 1 classes since fall 2019. That same year, they presented the curriculum, which has lessons for both middle and high school students, at RV’s regional sending district in-service.

Additionally, they shared the curriculum and its impact through professional development workshops at the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) convention and the Burlington County Education Association (BCEA). This year, they hope to present on local Black historic sites, including Timbuctoo, that can supplement classroom learning via field trips, website materials, and presentations from local historians.

Alspach-Cliver is also in the early stages of compiling a children’s book detailing the story of Timbuctoo. She received a $12,000 grant from Burlington County to write, illustrate and publish the book in partnership with students taking a new RV course, AP African American Studies.

"We don't have a name yet, but we expect to focus on the Battle of Pine Swamp in which the Timbuctoo residents drove off a notorious slave catcher who was trying to take the freedom of community member Perry Simmons,” said Alspach-Cliver. “It is an inspiring story of resistance.”

The Timbuctoo community was settled by formerly enslaved and free African Americans in 1826. They purchased land from Quaker families, and in some cases received mortgages from Quaker businessmen, to establish a free black community well before the Civil War.

“I am proud of our RV teachers for taking the initiative to incorporate our local history into important lessons on the Underground Railroad and the Civil War as well as share stories from Timbuctoo that help spark conversations that build understanding and empathy for others,” said RVRHS Superintendent Christopher Heilig, Ed.D.