Where was Burlington in Stark County?
Submitted by Michelle Dillon
mdillon57@gmail.com
While doing some research, I came across a reference to a village called Burlington in Lexington
Township, Stark County, OH. The village does not appear in the 1870, 1875, or 1896 atlases of
Stark County.
The U.S. Geographic Names Information System, or GNIS, website
(http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/) lists Burlington as an historical populated place with
no coordinates (latitude, longitude) available.
The Dust to Dust….Ohio website (http://dusttodustoh.webs.com/ghosttowns.htm) has a list of
abandoned or forgotten towns for Stark County which includes a reference to Burlington, but no
location:
STARK-- Bancroft, Bixler, Bridgeport, Brimestone Corners, Burlington, Calcutta,
Congress Lake, Danzig, Diamond, Downingstown, Floradora, Geibe, Glaris, Hamburg,
Hardscrabble, Lexington, Lonas, Marchand, Marks, New Guinea, New Winchester,
Nimishillentown, Northwood, Otterbein, Pauls, Pekin, Pinn, Pleasant Valley, Rhodes,
Rocket, Rome, Shaffers, Sherwood, Stark, Summit, Sweetbriar, The Knolls, Toy Town,
Washington.
Searching in Google Books (books.google.com/), I found references to Burlington in the entries
for Lexington (Township) and Stark (County) in the book, The Ohio Gazetteer, and Traveler's
Guide… by Warren Jenkins (Columbus: Isaac N. Whiting, 1841):
LEXINGTON, a post township of Stark county, lying in township 19, range 6, and
containing 30 1/2 square miles. It has the laid out towns of Burlington, Williamsport,
Lima, Lexington, and Mount Union; none of which are of much importance. It has a
post office called Mahoning, and is on the head waters of the Mahoning creek, which
affords numerous mill seats. In 1833, there were 3 grist mills, 7 saw mills, and about
1100 inhabitants. It now returns 18,410 acres of land for taxation, valued at 46,268
dollars; and 1,400 dollars worth of town property.
STARK, a county bounded north by Portage and Medina, east by Columbiana and
Carrol, south by Carrol and Tuscarawas, and west by Wayne counties. It is divided into
the nineteen following townships, namely: Lexington, Washington, Paris, Sandy,
Osnaburg, Nimishillen, Marlborough, Pike, Canton, Plain, Lake, Green, Jackson, Perry,

The first edition of this gazetteer was published in 1837 and contains virtually the same information with regard to
Burlington.
Bethlehem, Sugar Creek, Tuscarawas, Lawrence, and Franklin. The towns of Canton,
Osnaburg, Kendall, Massillon, Pekin, Glaris, Paris, Waynesburg, Sparta, Greentown,
Uniontown, Bethlehem, Calcutta, Milan, Manchester, Clinton, Savanna, Minerva,
Franklin, Burlington, Mount Union, Williamsport, Lima, Marlborough, New
Baltimore, Lewisville, Harrisburg, Magnolia, New Berlin, Greensburg, McDonaldsville,
Navarre, Rochester, Greenville, Fulton, Orradeen, and Lexington are in this county, the
former being the seat of justice. The post offices are, Barryville, Bethlehem, Canal
Fulton, Canton, Clinton, East Greenville, Frease's Store, Greentown, Lake, Magnolia,
Mahoning, Mapleton, Marlborough, Massillon, Midway, Minerva, Mt. Union, New
Baltimore, New Berlin, New Franklin, Nimisilla, North Industry, Osnaburg, Paris, and
Waynesburg. Tuscarawas, Nimishillen, Mahoning, Sugar and Sandy creeks, are the
principal waters. The Ohio and Erie canal runs across the western borders of this
county, through Franklin, Jackson, Perry, and Bethlehem townships; almost constantly
bearing upon its bosom the products of our own and foreign countries.
This county was originally settled by emigrants from Pennsylvania and Maryland;
but latterly, many Europeans, principally from France, Germany, and Switzerland, have
emigrated hither. It is among the best wheat growing counties in the state; and vast
quantities are annually produced, and manufactured into flour, for the New York and
other markets. Horses and cattle, to a considerable amount, are also sent to the seaports.
Most parts of the county abound with iron ore, stone coal and limestone. In the
neighborhood of Canton, a large tract of land is covered to the depth of several feet with
lime in the state of sediment or marl; which, from experiments recently made, will
answer the purposes of builders as well as either limestone or Bridgewater lime. Wells,
Congress, Mead, Sippo, and Turkey Foot lakes, lie in this county, most of which are
fine sheets of water, of small size, abounding in fish. It formerly contained several
others, which have disappeared in consequence of the growth of turf on their banks.
This county contained 26,402 inhabitants at the last census; but by the recent erection of
the new county of Carrol, it has been reduced both in population and territory—three
entire townships, and part of a fourth having been annexed to the latter.
So just where was Burlington? For the answer, I had to search the records kept by the Stark
County Recorder. Luckily, these are digitized and available online
(http://www.recorder.co.stark.oh.us/), so I didn’t need to drive to Canton to get the information
that would answer my question. The Plat Index led me to Deed Book H, page 704, where I
found a plat and description of the elusive Burlington. The plat was recorded June 21, 1830.
Property owners were Peter Chance Samuel Rockhill, and Nathaniel English; Ellis N. Johnson,
Justice of the Peace, appeared in person to record the plat.
It appears that Burlington was laid out on the border between Lexington and Washington
Townships, at the intersection of “Paris Street” and the “State road from Canton to Salem.” This
puts Burlington near the intersection of present day State Street and Beechwood Avenue!
Deed Book H, page 704. Stark County, Ohio.