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History · West Burke

West Burke’s post office opened in 1853, and 78% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1951 on and the census since 1910.

1853first post office
0on the National Register
78%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How West Burke began

When was West Burke founded?

1853

The West Burke post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 325 in 19102020 census: 281173 years
Founding year: the first West Burke post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about West Burke’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 West Burke are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of West Burke’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 414 in 1950; 281 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start West Burke’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how West Burke’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
The story so far

West Burke, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of West Burke yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

West Burke is a village in the town of Burke, Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 281 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1853. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 343 to 281 (-18%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

People over time

West Burke, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 414

Peaked at 414 in 1950; 281 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

By decade

West Burke, decade by decade

Today9 recent
West Burke VT 9-21-252025West Burke VT 9-21-25West Burke VT 10-18-252025West Burke VT 10-18-25West Burke 12-03-20252025West Burke 12-03-2025VT Rte 5A Post Office Road downtown West Burke VT July 20192019VT Rte 5A Post Office Road downtown West Burke VT Jul…United Methodist Church downtown West Burke VT July 20192019United Methodist Church downtown West Burke VT July 2…Road signs VT Rte 5 and 5A downtown West Burke VT August 20192019Road signs VT Rte 5 and 5A downtown West Burke VT Aug…John & Jeanette Villeneuve Fire Station VT-5A downtown West Burke VT July 20192019John & Jeanette Villeneuve Fire Station VT-5A downtow…Feed store VT Rte 5A downtown West Burke VT July 20192019Feed store VT Rte 5A downtown West Burke VT July 2019Aldrich's General Store VT Rte 5A downtown West Burke VT August 20192019Aldrich's General Store VT Rte 5A downtown West Burke…
On the map

West Burke on the map, 1951 to 1988

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

West Burke on the 1951 USGS mapWest Burke on the 1988 USGS map1951Burke sheet · 1:62,500

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

Famous people

Famous people close to West Burke

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

See all →
C
Chris HedgesAmerican journalist · b. 1956
Thaddeus StevensAmerican statesman · b. 1792
Theodore RobinsonAmerican artist · b. 1852
B
Bob SmithAmerican physician and surgeon · b. 1879
Herbert AdamsAmerican sculptor · b. 1858
B
Beth ChamberlinAmerican actress · b. 1963

Questions about West Burke’s history

What year was West Burke founded?

The West Burke post office opened in 1853, 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 →
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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 (9), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.