Events in Burlington and Vicinity: 1835 - 2006

A Collection of Excerpts and Articles Relating to Burlington's History

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These items were collected during research of newspapers and other sources. They are intended as an aid to those interested in finding out what happened in Burlington over the years, when it happened, and in some cases who was involved in the event(s). The database also includes information on events that occurred in, or articles that mentioned, towns and villages in the area surrounding Burlington, such as Rochester, Lyons, Waterford, Brighton, Dover, Spring Prairie, Springfield, Kansasville, and other places. This database does not include every event that ever happened in Burlington or the surrounding towns and villages or every event that was reported in the newspapers. A companion database containing information on BURLINGTON HOMES AND FARMS is available. Death, birth, and other information primarily on people who have lived in or near Burlington, Wisconsin, since about 1835 is in a companion database called PEOPLE OF BURLINGTON AND VICINITY.  Marriage information is in a database called MARRIAGES OF PEOPLE OF BURLINGTON AND VICINITY.

The research is on-going, so the database  is subject to additions, corrections, and other modifications. Our intent is to update the database from time to time as the research progresses. The latest updates to this database were posted on February 7, 2007.  The items are generally presented in summary or capsule form; for the full text, the user should consult the source document(s). Because information was collected from several sources, some conflicts are inevitable. Also, both the source documents and this database were prepared by individuals who are subject to all the frailties of the human race. If you spot a material error, please bring it to our attention, along with supporting documentation or a citation to a searchable reference. The corrections will be made in the next update. Names have been spelled, for the most part, as they appeared in the source documents. In some cases, but not all, alternate spellings are included.

Information on the location and availability of documents and records is listed on the "References and Sources" page of this website. There may be other locations where the documents and records are available.  Abbreviations and acronyms are listed on the Abbreviations page.

While we would like to be able to provide copies of articles, we do not have the volunteer help necessary to do that. The microfilms of the newspapers are available at the Burlington Public Library, the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, and possibly at other research facilities in southeastern Wisconsin, including the University of Wisconsin - Parkside.  They may also be available through your local library's reference desk.  The Burlington Genealogical Society sometimes has members willing to do some research work for a fee and expenses.  That Society can be accessed through the "Related Sites" link near the top of our home page. 

(BG - Burlington Gazette, 5/14/1859 - 12/11/1860; F - Free Press, 2/22/1881 - 5/24/1955; S - Standard, Standard Democrat, or Standard Press, 10/14/1863 - present; PNA - Pictorial News-Advertiser, 10/11/1965 - 2/27/1967; EI - Elkhorn Independent; HL - Hi-Liter; RA - Racine Advocate; RTC - Racine Times-Call; WSJ - Wisconsin State Journal)

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