March, 2005
Good-Sized Crowd Enjoys Christmas Program The Museum was nearly full on
December 12, 2004, for the Historical Society's annual Christmas program,
which featured musician Kerry Hart. Thanks to those who donated the food products and those who provided the refreshments. |
Kerry Hart at the keyboard
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Student Intern Helping at Museum Penny Donnelly, of Burlington, a
history major at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, has been helping as a
student intern at the Museum since mid-January. |
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Our Intern
Hello, I am Penny Donnelly the new
intern at the Burlington Historical Society. I am a senior at UW-Parkside
majoring in History. I was hoping to intern close to home and feel very
fortunate to be working at the Historical Society where so many interesting
ideas are coming to fruition.
I didn't know what to expect when I began but in the
short time I have been here, I have gained a wealth of information about our
community and the significant leaders of our town.
I moved here three years ago from New Mexico with my
husband Billy and our two kids, Haley and Zachary. We are pleased to call
Burlington home and find the sense of community and charm welcoming.
Our first ever A Cemetery Walk@ event is being planned for June 26, 2005, in the afternoon at the Burlington Cemetery.
The annual Ice Cream Social will be Saturday, July 30, 2005, at the Pioneer Cabin in Wehmhoff Square from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
President's Message Recently, while conducting a tour
of our museum, I had a particularly enjoyable and uplifting experience that
I want to share with our readers. The visitors were not the typical ones
fascinated with the artifacts of 19th century life. Nor did they
seem to care much about our collection of photographs and postcards. Our
interesting collection of bottles and brewery memorabilia hardly turned a
single head. Doug Lind |
Dressed in their Sunday best,
numerous children from eastern cities boarded trains and headed west. They
were full of anticipation and fear of the unknown. They were going to a land
of strangers. The Little Wanderers Mr. R. B. Graham, General Agent of
the Baldwin Place Home for Little Wanderers, Boston, with a wide awake
company of children made a visit to our village on Friday last. They had
come direct from Boston, landing at Kenosha with twenty-six children--where
homes were found for six of the number. Homes were found for eight more at
Racine, and at Union Grove for one, so that eleven remained on reaching
Burlington, of whom five were girls and six were boys. -- Contributed by Penny Donnelly |
Second Group of Little Wanderers Also Found Homes in This Area According to the Burlington Standard of June 23, 1870, another company of 40 homeless children were brought to this area in 1870. Of those, 8 were located in this vicinity: a boy and a girl with Mr. Sawyer and a boy with Mr. Codman of Rochester; a boy with Mr. Carpenter of Honey Creek; a boy with Mr. Hawkes (Hawks) and a girl with Mr. F. Taylor of Lyons; and a girl each with Mr. G. W. Bushnell and Mr. William Rooker of Burlington. |
The History of One of the Adoptees Alice, the girl adopted by Joseph
and Mary Wackerman, was born in Athol, Massachusetts, April 14, 1863. After
finding a home with the Wackermans in 1869, she was adopted by them. |
"Elmers" Instead of "Oscars"
Thirty-one Hollywood "Personalities" Meet For Party at Hotel
Burlington
Thirty-one famous Hollywood stars,
directors and script writers came to Burlington by proxy last Thursday night.
With all the fan-fare given any celebrity, the 31 were interviewed by special
recording in the lobby of the Hotel Burlington, with a spotlight illuminating
the scene outside.
These by-proxy "stars" were the Haylofters, Inc., and
friends enjoying an annual banquet at the Hotel Burlington. This year, it was
decided to come dressed as a Hollywood personality.
Early in the evening, "Mendy" Mendenhall began
interviewing all present over his wire recorder. The program was replayed when
the "celebrities" dined.
An "Elmer" was given to the two outstanding "stars."
First went to Robert Wilke, as Monty Wooley, and Peggy Vogelsang, as Mary
Martin, took second.
Other clever costumes were worn by Mrs. Elsie Hagen
(Charlie Chaplin); Mrs. Aurora Samuels (Carmen Miranda); Robert Bayer (Groucho
Marx); Elsie Kneubuhler (Ethel Barrymore); Peter Weiler (Frank Sinatra); Pat
Tobin (Dale Evans); and Rev. Malcolm P. Brunner (Mickey Rooney).
After the dinner the group saw old Charlie Chaplin and
W. C. Fields movies. The room was specially decorated for the evening with
flowers, Hollywood pictures along the walls, and balloons.
It was not until September 4, 1918,
that Burlington citizens who were out of doors shortly before 7 o'clock on a
Wednesday evening had the new sensation of seeing an aeroplane flying over their
heads.
And it was not until almost 10 years later that Hubert
"Pink" Schenning and Art Rein would be the first ones in Burlington to own an
airplane.
So it was a relatively rare experience to fly in an
airplane in September 1922 when Bill Leach wrote the following account for the
Free Press.
ENJOYS LABOR DAY FLIGHT
A Burlington Resident Makes the Trip from Elkhorn to Brighton in 20 Minutes
The writer arranged on the afternoon of
Labor Day to make a flight from Elkhorn to a landing field on Leach Bros. Farm
in the town of Brighton, the distance being about 20 miles and over Burlington.
The pilot was Lieut. J. Mason and the plane and engine
of Curtiss make. The start was made from Elkhorn at 5:35 p.m. and after circling
over some corn fields and the fair grounds we headed straight for Burlington at
a speed of about one mile per minute at a height of 3,000 feet.
The country was all new to Lieut. Mason so I had to be
the guide. Bowers and Spring Prairie soon appeared just over the left wing and
just a little later Lyons appeared over the right wing with its tiny mill pond.
The pilot slowed down and asked if it was my town and I informed him that
Burlington was one town further. The corn fields looked like little garden plots
and the roads looked the size of cement sidewalks as we passed over them. A few
minutes later Burlington came in sight with its pond and rivers. White river
having shown all the way from Lyons like a little ditch. Brown's and Norton's
Lake came sight to the left and Bohner's Lake to the right. Some buildings with
peculiar roofs I decided were those of Burlington Brass Works and the water
tower. Churches and both depots appeared very plainly. Brown's lake looked
beautiful with its peninsula and tiny island and we flew just to the south of
Norton's lake. I checked our position by the large sheep sheds, the steel roof
on Stipe's barn, Muegler's stone barn, Elderbrook's silo and about three minutes
after leaving the farm and landing field came into view. I pointed out the
landing spot and told the pilot to land on the green alfalfa field. We circled
over Mt. Tom and a corner of the Oberg farm and came down in a graceful glide at
5:55 p.m., 20 minutes after leaving Elkhorn. I thanked Lieut. Mason and he took
off the field for Elkhorn at 6:00 p.m.
W. J. Leach
Some '50s Memories
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Bicycle parades at the ball park |
The turning pole at Lincoln School |
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Taking the bus to the beach |
For More Information Contact:
Burlington Historical Society
232 North Perkins Blvd., Burlington, WI 53105
Tel: (262) 767-2884
FAX: (262) 767-2844
Internet:
info@burlingtonhistory.org
Notices: Disclaimer and Restriction of Liability