September 2002
The Burlington Historical Society recently issued a new booklet which attempts to collect and piece together the information that has been published or collected over the years about the Burlington area's role in the Underground Railroad.
The 60-page illustrated booklet includes sections on Burlington, Rochester, and Spring Prairie. Among the six appendixes are copies of Lyman Goodnow's account of taking Caroline Quarlls, an escaped slave, on her journey from the Burlington area of Spring Prairie to Canada, and Chauncey C. Olin's account of his taking the fugitive, Joshua Glover, on his journey from Waukesha, through Rochester, to Racine. Added to Olin's account is some information from Sherman Booth and Mrs. Walter Derthick on Glover's being subsequently taken from Racine to Spring Prairie (and possibly Burlington) for a few weeks before being returned to Racine and put on a boat bound for Canada.
A section of the booklet highlights the activities of Dr. Edward G. Dyer, of Burlington, whom Goodnow called the area's "Commander-in-chief" and "greatest and best friend to humanity." Also included is C. C. Olin's account of his speaking and singing trip through southeastern Wisconsin with former slave, "Lewis Washington," in the early 1840s. The school house in Burlington, now known as Whitman School, was one of the sites where "Washington" and Olin spoke and sang.
Photographs of the various sites and people involved in the anti-slavery movement in the Burlington and Rochester areas are included, along with a map showing where some of the Spring Prairie sites were located.
The booklet was put together for the Society by member, Don Vande Sand, based on a review of the Society's files, the files of the Racine Heritage Museum, and the reference materials in various libraries in the area, and a search of pertinent sites on the Internet. Rochester historians, Edwin and Wendy Ela and Larry Aspinall, contributed information on that community's role in the Underground Railroad. Many of the photographs reproduced in the booklet are from the Burlington Historical Society's collection. Also included are copies of some photographs, taken by member, Dennis Tully, of paintings in the Society's collection. The booklet was made possible by those who recorded their stories or memories of the period when the Underground Railroad operated in the Burlington area, those who previously researched and reported on the topic, those who donated such material to the Society, and the present and previous members of the Society who collected and preserved the material.
The booklet is intended to add to the knowledge base of the Underground Railroad in the Burlington area and in Wisconsin. However, because of the secretive nature of the enterprise, the lack of any official records, and the possibility that information lies undiscovered in attics and archives, the booklet is not, and could never be, the complete story or final word on the role of Burlington and the nearby areas of Rochester and Spring Prairie in the Underground Railroad.
The booklet is for sale at the Historical Museum and at Pioneer Log Cabin in Burlington. The cost is $7.50. For mailed copies, add $2.50 for postage and handling.
The Burlington Historical Society has joined the World Wide Web. Under the name burlingtonhistory.org, the Society has opened a website with lots of information on Burlington and the surrounding area and a sample of the Society's photo collection.
Webmaster Jeff Kiekenbush and content contributors, Don Vande Sand and Dennis Tully, have created a website that includes:
v Death, birth, marriage, and other information that has appeared in the Burlington newspapers (or in other sources) on persons who have lived in or been connected to the Burlington area since the first settlers made their claims in the 1830s. The information, with identification of the sources, is fully searchable.
v A list of some of the events that were reported in the Burlington newspapers (or other sources) over the years, including some events in the towns and villages near Burlington, such as Rochester, Waterford, Lyons, Spring Prairie, New Munster, Dover, Kansasville, Brighton, Springfield, and others. The information is in summary or capsule form and is fully searchable.
v A short history of early Burlington.
v A history of the Burlington Historical Society, with photographs.
v A sample of the historical photographs in the Society's collection that Tully, Vande Sand, and Roger Bieneman have been identifying, cataloging, and scanning into the computer.
v Copies of the 1842 and 1846 Territorial Censuses of the town of Burlington.
v A surname index to the 1900 Census of both the City and the Town of Burlington.
v Articles and items from the Society's latest newsletters.
v Articles, with photographs, on the start of the Burlington Liars Club and on Burlington booster, Bill Frook - the State Street bridge man.
Additional information, photographs, and articles will be added to the website from time to time. Information on homes and farms in and around Burlington, for example, is being readied for "launch" in the near future. Also, the various databases will be updated from time to time as research of the Burlington newspapers and other sources continues.
The website includes an on-line discussion forum, a list of publications and other items the Society has for sale, and links to related sites. A mechanism is set up for submitting comments, questions, and feedback to the site.
The Society also has an e-mail address - burlingtonhistory@core.com for communicating with its members and others interested in Burlington history.
Our annual Ice Cream Social event was again held during Maxwell Street Days ( July 27th) and marked the half way point in the cabin's operating season. Rain had us serving ice cream from inside the cabin but clouds soon gave way to sunshine and the event continued outside. During the Maxwell Street Days event ( July 26-27) approximately 250 visitors toured Pioneer Cabin. The help from our board members, volunteers and docents was greatly appreciated and contributed to making our annual event a success.
The condition of the cabin remains very good; however, the need for some minor repair work is coming to light. The new logs in the chimney wall have been shrinking somewhat, causing cracks to appear in the interior mortar and white-wash. This was not totally unexpected and will be dealt with this year. Some of the outside daubing has come loose and will need to be touched up. The barrel bolts that secure the shutters inside are difficult for the docents to operate. Other methods of securing the shutters are being considered.. The entrance door and the shutters have been given a coat of linseed oil and the end gable sheathing will get the same before winter. We have added small US flags and holders which are mounted on the fence posts for use on festive occasions to attract attention to the cabin's location. The kitchen garden's cover crop of rye has been cut and the soil will be tilled before winter. The fence-line garden is getting a face lifting thanks to the Burlington Area Garden Club and the Racine County Master Gardeners. Some old growth is being removed and plans for new plant materials in the spring are being considered. We continue to receive many nice comments about the cabin and its garden from visitors. The hollyhocks are becoming a little legend in their own time with requests for seeds showing no signs of letting up.
I have been informed that folks are stuffing these seed packets in their Christmas cards. Now that is a novel idea!
Finally, I remain hopeful that we can add perhaps two more docents to the cabin's staff of volunteers. If any reader is interested or knows of someone who is, please call the museum and leave a message for Doug Lind. Thanks for all the help and have a great summer!
The annual meeting and elections will be held on Sunday, October 20 at 2:00. A brief business meeting including board elections will be held.
Following the meeting, the society welcomes Phil Larson, of Burlington who will share his vast knowledge of clocks and timepieces. Refreshments will follow.
Thank you to members of the Genealogical Society who have provided the baked goods.
Standard Democrat, Sept. 16, 1910
Half a dozen of the boys and girls who went to school together sixty years ago, in the little old log school house located between the Hockings and Moore residences at Brown's lake, on what was then called the Racine plank road, met again a few days ago at the residence of William Hockings, talked over old times and brought up memories that had been forgotten for these fifty years.
There were present William Hockings and George McDonald, of Burlington; Mrs. Ada Minter, nee McDonald, of Spickard, Kansas; Mrs. Mary Metcalf, nee Hockings, of Madison, South Dakota, and Lem McDonald and wife, nee Lovira Boss, of Princeton, Mo. The McDonald family sixty years ago lived on what is now the John F. Wegge farm, and the children went across the river in a boat spring and fall and across the ice in the winter. It is needless to say that a royal good time was had at the reunion.
Free Press, May 29, 1919
The entire corps of teachers, with two exceptions, have been engaged for the coming year for the public schools. The third and seventh grades are still vacant.
Following is the list of teachers, with the salaries they will receive:
School Superintendent--F. L. Witter, $2500 per year.
Commercial--H. S. Youngs, $1600 per year.
Manual Training--Harvey Wereley, $1300 per year; assistant, Carl Triechel, $105 per month.
Domestic Science--Rodella Godfrey, $1200 per year; assistant, Evelyn Raible, $90 per month.
School Nurse--Della Mertens, $110.53 per month.
Penmanship--Lillian Bushman, $100 per month.
Music--Nellie Jacobson, $100 per month.
Mathematics--Florence Mauer, $120 per month.
Languages--Anne Goodchild, $115 per month.
English and Arithmetic--Inez Heath, $115 per month.
History and Library--Edith McEachron, $110 per month.
English--Ruth Winston, $115 per month.
Eight Grade--Lucy Itzin, $85 per month.
Seventh Grade--Vacant.
Sixth Grade--Frances Mealy, $85 per month.
Fifth Grade--Margaret Foley, $85 per month.
Fourth Grade--Gertrude Shaw, $82.69 per month.
Third Grade--Vacant.
Second Grade--Miss Martha Rohr, $75 per month.
First Grade--Mrs. Grace Asby, $87.50 per month.
Primary Dept.--Clara Reesman, $85 per month.
Kindergarten--Delnia Mathews, $87.50 per month.
Kindergarten and Music--Lauretta Uhen, $75.39 per month.
Standard Democrat, Oct. 28, 1910
Things have been and are being done to give outsiders coming to this city an impression of the progressiveness of Burlington. W. F. Gill has made another step, and one that will catch the eye of outsiders coming in by train. An electric lighted bus. Have you ridden in one? Well, anyway, Burlington has one of the first ones, and a progressive step like this will attract attention.
The Jones house bus, driven by the genial Gaylord Keyes, is now electric lighted, the system being installed this week. There are two small lights in the bus and the current is furnished by a storage battery under the front seat. Of course, Driver Keyes feels elated.
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