Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Burrton

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Burrton

Burrton’s post office opened in 1873, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1884 on and the census since 1880.

1873first post office
0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Burrton began, and where its name came from

When was Burrton founded?

1873

The Burrton post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 386 in 18802020 census: 861153 years

How did Burrton get its name?

Burrton was named from Burrton Township, which was named for I.T. Burr, a railroad official.

Founding year: the first Burrton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Burrton’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Burrton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18913 editions of the USGS map, 1891 to 1985. Watch Burrton change.Mapped building by building6 fire insurance maps, 1884 to 1922, drew every building in Burrton.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Burrton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Burrton’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Burrton on the map, 1891 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Burrton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Burrton on the 1891 USGS mapBurrton on the 1959 USGS mapBurrton on the 1985 USGS map1891Hutchinson sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Burrton.

Every building

Burrton, building by building, 1884–1922

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Burrton fire insurance map, 1884, sheet 11884Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Burrton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Burrton.

Read it all →

Burrton was laid out in 1873. It was named from Burrton Township, which was named for I.T. Burr, a railroad official. The first post office in Burrton was established in June 1873. Burrton was incorporated as a city in 1878.

Burrton's location at the junction of two railroads made it an important regional shipping point.

Chapters19th century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Burrton, 1873 to 1916

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1873Post officeThe Burrton post office opens
  3. 1891On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1904Born hereMilburn Stone is born here
  6. 1916Born hereThomas E. McCall is born here
By decade

Burrton, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Harvey County2013Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Harvey Co…MapDetailed map of2010Detailed map ofMapKSMap-doton-Burrton2004KSMap-doton-Burrton
People over time

Burrton, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 976

Between 386 and 976 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Burrton’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Burrton

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Milburn StoneActor · b. 1904
T
Thomas E. McCallUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1916

Questions about Burrton’s history

What year was Burrton founded?

The Burrton post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.