June 1, 2002
The Burlington Historical Society has planned a bus tour to Milton House in Milton and Rotary Gardens in Janesville on Saturday, June 22.
Milton House, a National Historic Landmark is on the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom and part of the
Wisconsin Heritage Sign Program. When Joseph Goodrich came to Milton, then known as Prairie du Lac, in 1838, he was looking for a better place for his family to live. He built a small frame house on prairie land at the intersection of two Indian trails. As settlers continued to come to this area, this crossroads became heavily traveled and the need for a resting place for travelers was needed. Joseph built an inn.
Travelers were not limited to settlers; some were escaping slavery through the Underground Railroad. Milton house recounts this chapter in our history with a guided tour of the inn, furnished as it was in the middle 1800s.
Following the guided tour of Milton House, the group will have lunch in Janesville and continue on to Rotary Gardens, an internationally themed botanical garden that provides horticulture and environmental education to children and adults.
With over 16 themed garden areas, visitors get a sampling of the world's gardening and landscaping styles including a Scottish, Alpine, English Cottage, Japanese, herb, sunken, formal gardens and more. Founded in 1988, Rotary Gardens continues to be funded almost entirely through private donations.
The bus will leave at 8:30 from the Veteran's Building parking lot on Milwaukee Avenue and return about 5:00 p.m. The $25 ticket ($21 for Burlington Historical Society members) covers the bus and admission to both sites. A stop for lunch in Janesville will not be included. The tickets are available at the BAAC Gallery and Gift Shop, 112 E. Chestnut Street in Burlington. Most of Rotary Garden is accessible to individuals with mobility impairments; wheelchairs are available upon request at no charge. Tours at Milton House include stairs; those with difficulty walking should notify us and Milton House will provide a video tour of upper floors with advance notice. Please call Barb Messick at 262-539-3626.
The Annual Ice Cream Social will be held on Saturday, July 27 at the Pioneer Cabin in Wehmhoff Square. Maxwell Street Days is taking place and you can visit city retailers, crafters, and other vendors, then stop by the cabin for refreshing ice cream while you enjoy the banjo music of Jeff Kramer.
Visit us at . . .
We’ve joined the technology age! The Society’s website is up and running with new additions daily! Visit the site at www.burlingtonhistory.org. The site includes a photo gallery, bits of history, articles, links to other history sites, and more. At printing this site has already had 500 visitors from around the world, even from as far as Australia. As they say, it is a small world.
The quarterly meeting held on April 21st was a great success with about a hundred visitors viewing the displays that answered ten questions about Burlington history. The comments were all favorable with suggestions to do this more often. Several visitors joined the society as well. If you were unable to attend and have pondered the questions that appeared in the last issue of Burlington Historian, read on . . .
1. What main Native American tribe populated the Burlington area in the 1800s and what was their Indian name for Browns Lake? This area was home to the Potowatomi tribe. Their name for Browns Lake was Lake of the Shining Arrow. An early map of Racine and Kenosha Counties shows some Indian trails. Several led to Mukwonago, which was an important Potowatomi village.
2. What was Burlington’s name just prior to becoming Burlington? Foxville. In July 1836, E.D. Putnam of Southport (Kenosha) was hired by Enoch D. Woodbridge to supervise the surveying and laying out of lots. At its completion, a group decided it was time to give the town an official name. Putnam was chosen for the honor in light of his hard work. He was from Vermont and thought that Foxville, with its beautiful location and scenery, was reminiscent of Vermont’s beautiful city, Burlington. A unanimous vote confirmed the town’s new name. However, the post office remained Foxville until July 15, 1839. The area was earlier known as Drovers Forks and Lower Forks (Rochester was known as Upper Forks).
3. Why don’t the city streets run true north and south? An unconfirmed legend cites one reason as a conflict between Silas Peck and Pliny Perkins. Both filed their street surveys at the county clerk’s office on the same day. They agreed on Jefferson and Washington Streets’ extensions into each other’s property, but not about Chestnut Street, so Peck built a stone building at 164 Chest-nut Street to prevent the extension, causing the Chestnut Street bend, or “loop.”
While this is an interesting story, the most likely scenario was that Perkins’ plan provided that his East/West streets ran parallel to the White River; Peck’s plan included North/South streets that ran parallel to the Fox River. Chestnut Street was probably a compromise where the two plans came together. Later development designed streets that ran true north and south.
4. What do the names Origen, Perkins, Whiting, Gardner, Lewis, and Conkey have in common? These streets are named after some of Burlington’s founders and early leaders. Origen Perkins arrived in August 1836. He was the town’s first Justice of the Peace.
Perkins Boulevard also honors other members of the Perkins family including Ephraim and Pliny Perkins, who arrived in April or May of 1837. They owned and operated a saw mill and the first flour mill.
The Perkins family continued to play a large role in Burlington for many years. Whiting Street (in the new industrial park on Highway 83 South) was named for William Whiting who arrived in December 1835 with Moses Smith. With Smith, he made the first jack-knife claim along the Fox River.
Palmer Gardner established a claim in the spring of 1836. The area of his claim came to be known as Gardner’s Prairie. In 1872, Gardner moved to Burlington where he built a two-story house on Kane Street. That house, with a third story and tower added, was later owned by the Patterson and Waller families. It was moved to the Shiloh Hills subdivision in April 1996.
Lewis Street is most likely the namesake of Dr. William Lewis, one of the founders of the Burlington Academy, a private school built in 1844.
Conkey Street was named for the family of Pliny Perkins’ wife, Ellen, whose maiden name was Conkey. Her middle name was Amanda, another familiar street name.
5. Where is the state’s oldest bank building that originally housed a bank and serves as a bank today? Most of the early banking was done in Racine, but lawyer Caleb Barns was Burlington’s first banker. In 1847 he built a building on the southwest corner of Pine and Chestnut Streets. The lower level was leased to a grocer, but the second floor was Caleb’s office and bank until his death in 1866. Antony Meinhardt started the Meinhardt Bank on the first floor in 1891. Today the building houses Bank One.
6. Which houses in town were part of the Underground Railroad for fugitive slaves before the Civil War? Many people in Burlington were connected with the Underground Railroad including Dr. Edward G. Dyer, Origen Perkins, Lemuel Smith, Ephraim Perkins, Caleb Barns, Dr. Joel H. Cooper, Trueworthy Durgin, and Pliny Perkins.
The first “passenger” on the route through Burlington was Caroline Quarrels during the summer of 1842. Other fugitive slaves are reported to have been hidden in the Dyer, Origen Perkins, and Durgin houses.
The last reported “passenger” was Joshua Glover, who was hidden in Dr. Cooper’s house (which is just north of Lincoln School on what is now Perkins Boulevard.
7. How many bottling companies (breweries included) were started in Burlington? Bottling companies include: Klein, C. Boub, Jacob Muth, Anton Finke, Finke-Uhen, James E. Eaton, August Zoehrlaut, Frank Howland, John H. Bowers, George Westrich, Peter Kline, and these bottling companies with their brands: Otto A. Klein - Echo Beverages. William Kazmaier - Pepsi Cola franchise, Grapette Bottling Co. - Grapette & Orangette, Weber Brewing Co. - Mission Beverages, Burlington Brewing Co. - Burlington, Chesterton, Original Burlington, Burlington Muenchener, and Old Wisconsin beers Van Merritt Brewing Co.
8. What is the oldest business in Burlington? Burlington Standard Press. The earliest newspaper in the area was the Voree Herald, published by James J. Strang in 1848.
The first Burlington paper was the Burlington Weekly Gazette, published by H.W. Phelps in 1859, lasting only a year. Phelps' wife, Alta C., was co-editor.
In 1863, a paper, called the Burlington Standard, was founded by Lathrop E. Smith to aid President Lincoln's war efforts by putting out a paper here with strong Republican sentiments.
Henry L. Devereux bought the paper in 1866 and continued it as the Burlington Standard. Michael Wagner, Jr., and C. Eddie Sawyer bought out Devereux in 1881. After Sawyer left in 1882, Wagner ran the Standard until 1886, with Chester Whitman as a partner for a short time in 1885.
In 1886, the paper was purchased by James I. Toner & A. F. Ransom. Toner, an ardent Democrat, changed the editorial policy "to keep alive the true principles of Jeffersonian Democracy." The name was changed to the Standard Democrat.
The paper was purchased by Henry E. Zimmermann in 1889. He changed the paper by printing local news more prominently. He also printed the paper in German for the many German immigrants in Burlington. Der Standard Demokrat was published from 1896 to 1911.
A second paper in the town was the Burlington Democrat founded in 1879 by Levi Alden. After he sold it to William A. Colby in 1881, Colby changed the political leaning to Republican and called it the Burlington Free Press.
William Brannen, publisher and owner of the Standard Democrat purchased the Burlington Free Press in 1954 and the single paper became the Standard Press.
Another paper, the Pictorial News-Advertiser, started in October 1965 by Art Roesing and Glenn Hintz of The Wisconsin Hi-Liter, was bought out by the Standard Press in February 1967.
Other short-lived papers included "Our Enterprise" of Chet Whitman and Charley Case, the "Burlington Independent" of Frank Redner, the "Hillside Perhaps" of Harry C. Hansen, and the "Burlington Daily News."
9. What patented inventions were manufactured here in Burlington? Multiscope & Film Co. - Al-Vista camera and pictures; Anton Zwiebel - Ironing board, knuckle joint, window lock, fly-screen for windows; Burlington Blanket Co. (later Burlington Mills) - Stay-on horse blanket, Auto-Tex auto robes, and other products.
Lawton & Bushman - Shoe and harness repairing outfit; Burlington Brass Works - faucets; Agner Simplex - grease and oil injector, adjustable spark plug wrench, Simplex Meteor radio antenna, crank case drain plug that opened with rod; Security Lightning Rod Co. - Lightning rod; Wagner Specialty Co. - bull ring, calf-weaners.
Others - Lingle spirit level; Grasshopper Horse Hoe of McCumber & Klein; photographer burnisher of Adolph Moestue, made by Hubert Wagner; hammock stand of Wagner Bros.; lawn swing of Nicholas Thomas, made by Smithers, Harris & Co.; electric cord holder of Thomas Hanson, made by Hugh Agner; double woven basket of Herman Wegwart, made by Burlington Basket & Veneer Co.
10. What do the Town Pump, Purple Cow, Skyscraper, and Carousel have in common? Ice cream parlors. Before McDonalds, before Dairy Queen, before Adrians or Culvers, there were ice cream parlors. Families stopped in after church or an afternoon of shopping and it was a favorite hang-out for teens (think - “Happy Days.”)
Judy Stone and Barb Messick attended workshops on Exhibitions and Displays and Fund Raising in Lake Mills in April. The workshops are presented by the Wisconsin State Historical Society’s Department of Local History.
Great information and ideas were gathered and Barb and Judy are excited about the possibilities for the Society’s museums and checkbook!
The Department of Local History offers these workshops for minimal fees of less than $20 for an entire day of information and expertise. With budget deficits in the state government, this program and others of the State Historical Society are in danger of large cuts in funding. Contact your Wisconsin representatives and share your concerns about the future of state and local history programs.
Did You Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . that our Society will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2003?
The Burlington Historical Society was organized on February 13, 1928 for the purpose of collecting and preserving historical records and artifacts of the Burlington area. The first officers were Antionette Meinhardt Fulton, Herbert Duckett, and Augusta Nielson (Mrs. Louis Zwiebel).
The Society has collected many papers, photos, memorabilia, and artifacts over the years - a collection that is much more extensive than the limited space the museum allows. Many projects have been completed by the Society including several historical monuments marking the Voree settlement and the site of the first frame house built in Burlington, restorations of the Whitman School and Pioneer Cabin, a book of Burlington history, cataloging of extensive photo collection, maintaining the Burlington Historical Museum, and a new website with many exciting plans for the future of Burlington history.
The articles of incorporation of the Society state our purposes “are exclusively educational and shall be to preserve, advance, and disseminate . . . knowledge of the history of the City of Burlington and counties of Racine, Kenosha, and Walworth.”
How shall we celebrate our anniversary? It will be your celebration, and we welcome ideas and suggestions for appropriate activities to mark this special event.
Joyce Becker Lee has joined the volunteer docent staff of the Pioneer Cabin. Visit her and our other docents at the cabin on various Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer from 1 - 4 pm .
The Burlington Area Chamber of Commerce is in the planning stages for the Historic Walk scheduled for September 14 throughout downtown Burlington. Watch the newspapers for details!
1
lb. butter 1/2 c. wine
1 lb. sugar 1/2 c. brandy
1 lb. flour 1 tbs. nutmeg
6 eggs 1 tbs. cinnamon
1 pint whole milk 1 tsp. baking soda or cream mixed with 1 tsp. water
Note: Salaratus was a sort of precursor to baking powder used to leaven products where it was undesirable to use yeast. It is no longer obtainable so disregard it and use the alternative, baking soda.
Stir together a pound of butter and a pound of sugar; and sift into another pan a pound of flour. Beat six eggs very light, and stir them into the butter and sugar, alternately with the flour and a pint of rich milk or cream; if the milk is sour it will be no disadvantage. Add a glass of wine, a glass of brandy, a powdered nutmeg, and a table-spoonful of powdered cinnamon. Lastly, stir in a small tea-spoonful of soda, or salaratus, that has been melted in tepid water; take care not to put in too much soda, lest it give the cake an unpleasant taste. Stir the whole very hard; put it into a buttered tin pan, (or into little tins), and bake it in a brisk oven. Wrapped in a thick cloth, this cake will keep soft for a week.
2
qt. corn ("Indian") meal
1 qt. whole wheat "(Graham") flour
1 packet or cake yeast
1 c. molasses or sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Two qts. Indian meal, 1 qt. Graham flour, 1 cup yeast, 1 c. molasses or sugar,
1/2 tea-spoonful soda, 1/2 tea-spoonful salt.
From Transactions of the Wisconsin State Agriculture Society, blue ribbon winners at the Wisconsin State Fair of 1860. Item entered by Mrs. H. W. Hayes, Palmyra, Wisconsin.
Editor’s Note: These recipes were taken from The Civil War Interactive website. Nearly 500 recipes, North and South, from the Civil War era are included. Visit the site at www.civilwarinteractive.com/cookbook.htm
The Burlington Standard, Nov. 12, 1874
A great and most unique curiosity was
brought into town on Tuesday by Mr. John C. Lightfield of Rochester. The article
in question resembled to some eyes an Elephant’s Tusk, to others an immense
Horn! Whatever it may prove to be, it is nevertheless a great curiosity. It
measures four and on-half feet long, thirteen inches around, and weighs
twenty-five pounds.
It came
into the hands of Mr. Lightfield while in the legitimate occupation of digging a
ditch on the marsh belonging to Mr. F. Hoffman of the town of Dover. Many small
pieces of bone were also found in the ditch. This curiosity was found lying
three feet under the surface of the earth. It is in a perfect state of
fossilization. How long it has lain there and what creature or animal had the
honor of wearing it must be left for others to decide.
Since the above was written, Mr. A
Eddy Wells and Mr. A. Meinhardt have visited the spot, made a digging and
recovered a large number of bones, and most fortunately the other Tusk has also
been recovered intact, a description of which we will endeavor to give in our
next issue.
The following week’s issue reported
that Fred Wells and Frederick Stanton Perkins, with seven stout men, had also
gone to Hoffman’s marsh and uncovered an area about 20 feet square and 4 feet
deep. Besides the tusks, the various parties found large portions of the back
bone, with the vertebrae measuring 9 inches in width; ribs measuring 8 feet
long; a large section of the hip joint; and portions of the foot bones. They
were unable to find the animal’s head.
The second tusk was taken to
the furniture store of Fred Willhoft, where it was cleaned, coated with varnish,
and mounted on a piece of black walnut 5 feet long. Dr. Hoy of Racine, who was
called to Burlington to examine the bones, pronounced them to be the bones and
tusks of a mastodon of an under size, but probably as large as an elephant,
and of a period at least two thousand years ago.
In October 1887, the Standard
Democrat reported that Frederick Stanton Perkins had given the mounted mastodon
tusk to the public museum at Milwaukee.
Wegge & Baumann have a new Edison Graphophone which will imitate a band, stump speaker, singer, and many other things.
[Note: John Wegge and Bruno Bauman had a saloon in the recently demolished Hi-Liter building when it stood on the corner of Pine and Chestnut Streets where May’s Insurance building, formerly the McCanna - Bank of Burlington building, is now located. The brick saloon building, erected by Civil War veteran, William Laske, in 1873-74, was moved across the Chestnut Street railroad tracks in April 1909. After its move, the building’s occupants included Walter F. Uebele and Henry A. Runkel’s Burlington Feed Company; C.B. McCanna’s Wisconsin Condensed Milk Co. (later Nestle’s and then Phelps) can shop; Lake Services warehouse; and Hi-Liter Graphics, Inc. headquarters.]
Wood thieves are becoming numerous. One lady on West Geneva Street (now W. State Street) is prepared for them with a shotgun should a recent visit be repeated.
Pathmasters were local citizen who were responsible for seeing to the upkeep of the public roads in their assigned areas in the 1800s and into the early 1900s. The roads at that time were dirt roads, which required periodic grading, removal of large stones, filling of ruts, and other maintenance. Until 1886, the Town of Burlington had 26 road districts. After the village of Burlington was incorporated in 1886, the Town had 23 (and later 24) road districts.
The pathmasters elected in April 1870, listed below, included many individuals with surnames that are still familiar in the Burlington area.
1. William Baumeister
2. William Chipman
3. Emerson O. Cole
4. William Kruger (Krueger)
5. William Garnetz
6. Peter Griebel
7. John Prasch
8. Henry Spiker (Spieker)
9. Adam Kleinkopf
10. PhillipGriebel
11. Liberty Fisk (Fiske)
12. Ephraim S. Sawyer
13. Nikolas Klein
14. Christopher Winkler
15. Bernard Kresken
16. George Rosenhauer
17. Anton Grass
18. William Breukmann
19. Sebastian Heiligenthal
20. Henry Uhlenhake
21. Edward Barrett
22. John Boyle
23. Daniel Warren
24. Lorenz Hess
25. F. Elderbrook
26. Charles Matthews.
Other individuals who served as pathmasters in later years included Anton King, Herman Koldeway, Fred Uhen, Henry Pihringer, and others.
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