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–Not graded
History · Burlington

Burlington’s post office opened in 1889, and 63% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1954 on.

1889first post office
0on the National Register
63%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Burlington began

When was Burlington founded?

1889

The Burlington post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 81137 years
Founding year: the first Burlington post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Burlington’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 Burlington are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Burlington’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Burlington’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Burlington came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Burlington.

Read it all →

The earliest settlers in the area included John and Michael Jones. The pair built cabins in the area circa 1867, and the community was initially named Irish Settlement. A Catholic church was constructed in the 1880s. When the post office was established in 1884, the town was renamed Waterford. The post office operated in the home of Timothy Gleason, a native of Tipperary, Ireland, who changed the town's name to Burlington, after Burlington, Vermont.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your album
On the map

Burlington on the map, 1954 to 1975

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

Burlington on the 1954 USGS mapBurlington on the 1975 USGS map1954Waco sheet · 1:250,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Burlington

Nobody well known was born in Burlington itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Rip TornAmerican actor · b. 1931
Alvin AileyAfrican-American dancer, choreographer and acti… · b. 1931
Blind Willie JohnsonAmerican blues musician · b. 1897
R
Rudy YoungbloodMexican-born Native American actor · b. 1982
Bob WillsAmerican musician · b. 1905
Bernard A. Harris, Jr.American NASA astronaut, physician · b. 1956
Places that used to be

Old burying grounds

Burlington’s post office has been open since 1889.

3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Burlington
Burlington - BlackBurlingtonSaint Michaels

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Ben ArnoldIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Burlington’s history

What year was Burlington founded?

The Burlington post office opened in 1889, 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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.