- CHOCOLATE CITY USA - AND
HOME OF THE FIRST HISTORICAL SOCIETY IN RACINE COUNTY.
THE SOCIETY IS CELEBRATING ITS 80th ANNIVERSARY IN 2008.
BURLINGTON IS ALSO THE
HOMETOWN OF TONY ROMO
On
Saturday, July 19, from about
8 a.m. until noon,
Society volunteers will be
moving heavy items
(display cases, etc.) from a storage location on Market Street to a new
storage location on the old brewery property across from Memorial
Hospital on McHenry Street. Anyone who is willing to help,
including
high school boys who would
like to earn community service credits,
is welcome. If willing to help, please call 767-2884, leave your
name and phone number, and someone will get back to you with the
details.
The
Society's
Ice Cream Social is scheduled for
Saturday, July 26, 2008,
from 10 a.m. to between 3 and 4 p.m., at the Pioneer Log Cabin in Wehmhoff Square, Downtown Burlington. It will be held in
conjunction with Burlington's Maxwell Street Days, which will be held on
both July 25 and July 26.
HISTORICAL PHOTOS SLIDE SHOW AT THE LIBRARY
-- In conjunction with the Burlington Public Library's 100th
anniversary, Dennis Tully, Society president, will be presenting a
program at the Library on
Thursday, July 17, at 6:30 p.m.,
showing photos of historic Burlington and tracing the Library's history
since it was established in 1908.
2008 marks the
Society's 80th anniversary.
The Museum, which is closed for renovation, will be re-opened sometime
in 2008 if everything goes according to plan.
From
1855 to 1905, the State of Wisconsin conducted
mid-decade censuses that complemented the decennial
censuses conducted by the Federal Government.
All the mid-decade censuses but the 1905 one were
"Head of Household" censuses that listed the name of
the head of household only, followed by the number of
males and females in the household - no individual
names were listed for the other family members.
The 1905 mid-decade
census, however, departed from this pattern.
It was an "all-names" census like the Federal
censuses. The Society has posted indexes
to the 1905 State Census relating to Burlington,
Rochester, Waterford, Dover, Lyons, Spring Prairie, Bloomfield, and
Brighton townships; additional township
lists are
planned. For each, there are an alphabetical surname
index and a numerical page and family number index.
Those indexes can be accessed in the first column
under New and Recent Additions to the Website.
These are indexes only; the census itself is available on microfilm
from the Wisconsin State Historical Society. In Wisconsin (and perhaps
in other states), the microfilm can be ordered at your local
library. (You can also access the 1905 Wisconsin
census on-line at Ancentry.com; after a 2-week free trial offer, however,
further access is allowed only to Ancestry subscribers.)
Additional information on
the Wisconsin State censuses is available from the Wisconsin State
Historical Society at:
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/genealogy/census/wisconsin/
The Society's book of Burlington
photographs is available for sale. The book, titled
"Burlington," is part of the Images of America series published by Arcadia
Publishing Co. of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.
About 230 of the thousands of photographs in the Society's collection are
featured in the 128-page soft-cover book, together with captions describing
the scenes and giving some history of the subjects shown in the photographs.
A short historical sketch of Burlington introduces the images. The
photographs are grouped in seven categories:
-- Cityscapes and Street Scenes
-- Stores, Shops, and Business Vehicles
-- Manufacturing and Processing Plants
-- Houses - From Humble to Grand
-- Churches and Schools
-- Landmarks and Municipal Facilities
-- Nearby Lakes
The book makes local
history available to everyone. A meander through the pages will bring
revelation for the young folks and both recollection and reminiscence for
the young at heart.
The book is for sale at Fidelity Title Co., 101 E.
Washington Street, Monday-Friday during business hours. The Society's price for the
book is $21.00, including State sales tax.
For a mailed copy, a postage and handling fee of $2.50
will be added, making the cost $23.50 per book. Send order to the
Burlington Historical Society, 232 N. Perkins Blvd., Burlington, WI
53105; or click on "Publications for Sale" under the masthead above.
The book, with a cover price of $19.99, will also be
sold (with the appropriate sales tax added) at various retail outlets in
Burlington and elsewhere and on the Arcadia Publishing Co.'s website.
"The BuR SPUR"
"The BuR
SPUR of Wisconsin'S
Underground Railroad"
The Underground
Railroad
was the first "railroad" to reach the Wisconsin Territory. And the
Burlington,
Rochester,
and Spring
Prairie
area - which has been named
The BuR SPUR
-- had several way-stations on the route.
A tour guide, laying out a part walking and part driving tour of more
than 25 places in Burlington, Rochester, and Spring Prairie associated
with Underground Railroad and abolitionist activities, has been
developed with the help of several Society members and the graphic
artistry of Sherry Schenning Gordon. The full-color guide, in the
format of a folding road map, is now available - free of charge - at the
Museum, the Chamber of Commerce office, the Library, and other sites in
Burlington and Racine. Copies are also available at several nearby
libraries and other locations, such as Wisconsin Welcome Centers and
some motels.
Mailed copies can be obtained from the Burlington Area Chamber of
Commerce, 113 E. Chestnut St., Burlington, WI 53105 (phone
262-763-6044).
The first-hand accounts of
the Underground Railroad journeys of Joshua Glover and Caroline Quarlls,
as recounted by their "conductors" (Chauncey C. Olin and Lyman Goodnow,
respectively) are found
here
and
here.
PEOPLE OF
BURLINGTON AND VICINITY(many
entries include dates of birth and/or death, name of
spouse, and burial information) February
2007, to include references to the records
(generally through 1920) of several area Catholic
Churches
Also
click on On-Line Records (above) to find some
limited census information. If you have a
Burlington Public Library card, additional census
information is available from a Heritage Quest link
on that site -
click here
to visit the library links page, then click on
"Enter Heritage Quest".
Sunday: 1:00 -
4:00 P.M.
(except major
holidays)
Monday - Friday:
By Appointment Note:
Because of
remodeling, the
Museum is closed
for several
months.
About Us
The Burlington
Historical Society of Burlington,
Wisconsin, was established in February 1928 to
collect and preserve historical records and artifacts
pertaining to the Burlington area. It was the first
historical society in Racine County. The Society is a
private, not-for-profit organization run entirely by
volunteers.
The Museum, on the
corner of Perkins Boulevard and Jefferson Street, is
open most Sunday afternoons from 1 to 4 p.m. and at
other times by appointment. It contains
-- Historical and genealogical information on, and
historical artifacts from, Burlington and the
surrounding area.
-- An extensive photograph and negative
collection.
-- Several Al-Vista panoramic cameras - this
camera, one of the earliest panoramic cameras, was
invented by Peter Angsten in 1896 and made in
Burlington by the Multiscope & Film Co. from 1897
through 1908.
-- Artifacts from the world famous Burlington
Liars Club.
-- Information on the Mormon settlement at Voree
established by James J. Strang.
-- Information on the Burlington area
connections on the Underground Railroad.
-- A turn-of-the-century kitchen and
Victorian-era parlor display.
The Legacy Garden, next to the Museum, is maintained
by the Burlington Area Garden Club.
The Society's Pioneer Log Cabin is one block north of
the Museum in Wehmhoff Square (a downtown park). It is open from mid-May
through mid-October on Saturday afternoons from 1 to 4 p.m., during some
special Burlington community activities, and by appointment. The cabin
is furnished as a post-Civil War farming family's home. Adjoining the
cabin is a display of the area's agricultural history and period tools,
along with a flower garden - called the Vintage Garden - and a kitchen
garden where, depending on the year, vegetables or other crops are
grown. The Vintage Garden is maintained by the Burlington Area Garden
Club.
The Society also maintains an 1840 brick school house,
called Whitman School, which is open by appointment.
The Museum and Cabin, just a block apart in mid-town
Burlington near the Public Library, are both ADA accessible. Whitman
School, on Beloit Street in the southwest part of the city, is not.
There is no admission charge at any of the sites, although donations are
accepted.
GENEALOGICAL GLEANERS AWARD
The BURLINGTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY website has been awarded
the GENEALOGICAL GLEANERS AWARD, which is given to websites that feature
free vital information for the online genealogical community. It recognizes
the hard work performed by volunteers in bringing genealogical data
to the web for the use of others.
From
1855 to 1905, the State of Wisconsin conducted
mid-decade censuses that complemented the decennial
censuses conducted by the Federal Government.
All the mid-decade censuses but the 1905 one were
"Head of Household" censuses that listed the name of
the head of household only, followed by the number of
males and females in the household - no individual
names were listed for the other family members.
February
2007, to include references to the records
(generally through 1920) of several area Catholic
Churches
