Dreaming of Timbuctoo

“Dreaming of Timbuctoo” chronicles the work of Gerrit Smith, a wealthy white abolitionist who helped black New Yorkers gain the right to vote by giving away 40-acre plots of land. In all, Smith gave away 120,000 acres of Adirondack wilderness to 3,000 men, a story the exhibit tells in a series of custom-printed fabric panels. Most never relocated to the area, which was dubbed Timbuctoo. The exhibit, though, tells the story of many who did—black pioneers who made a go of farming, and starting new lives, in a remote, difficult place.

Over the past decade, this exhibit, curated by Amy Godine, has visited numerous venues including college campuses, a prison, and the New York State Fair. A ribbon cutting in July celebrated the opening of the exhibit’s permanent home at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site.

In advance of the opening, the installation was completely revamped with new scholarship and artwork. The update was made possible through the contributions of donors through an online campaign hosted by Adirondack Gives, an Adirondack Foundation-led initiative to donors with local projects.

Through this installation and the efforts of John Brown Lives!, thousands of visitors to John Brown Farm will now gain an even deeper understanding of the role New Yorkers played in our nation's abolition movement.

Photos:

Top: John Brown Lives! Executive Director Martha Swan cuts the ribbon on the new Dreaming of Timbuctoo exhibit at John Brown Farm State Historic Site. She is joined by Alana Ball Chinian, Saratoga-Capital Regional Director for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Amy Godine, exhibit curator, Brendan Mills, Site Manager, and former Assemblyman Jack McEneny (far right).

Bottom: The interior of the barn which now houses the Dreaming of Timbuctoo exhibit.