Ironton Soliloquy
BURLINGTON - THE OLDEST NAME
By Charles Collett
(no date - circa 1940's)
Burlington, the oldest name in the Tri-State … When Ohio was
admitted to the Union in 1803, more people lived in the vicinity
of Burlington than elsewhere in this section … When Lawrence
county was laid out in 1816, the court house and jail were erected
at Burlington… The first newspaper published on the river between
Portsmouth and Gallipolis was the Lawrence County Gazette at
Burlington, established by W. C. Wheeler, November 22, 1845… That
was 4 years before Ironton was founded.
Before the Civil War, Burlington
had a distillery making good whiskey… This little community today
is not listed in the postal guide, with such other cities as
Burlington, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Maine, Kentucky, Indiana,
Illinois, Colorado…which states all have a Burlington. .. Instead,
the citizens here now receive their mail on rural route South
Point.
Many stories have been told about
the period leading up to the Civil War, when Burlington was known
as a stop on the "Underground Railway" a path followed by slaves
running away from the South for freedom to the North… Cross the
river than was Virginia," as the state had not been divided in the
West… The fact that run away slaves received such humane
treatment, many remained and others returned after the war…
The stories of the underground
bring to mind another underground experience 40 years ago when the
nation was undergoing the noble experiment remembered as national
prohibition… A friend invited me and two others to show us a real
Speak Easy… Our party arrived in Burlington about 9 p.m. parked
the car off the main highway, walked in the dark about a block to
a home where only the hall lamp was burning… A woman with a candle
in her hand answered the doorbell, and the leader of our party
identified himself and we were ushered into the parlor… The house
had three doors leading from the hallway and we could hear voices
in the other rooms.
The parlor had a fancy oil lamp
and an old fashion organ. The waitress took the order for four
ginger highballs…. When she returned she had a little hand bell on
the tray, saying if we wanted anything else, to ring the bell… The
drink must have been good, because our party rang several times.
The proprietoress or landlady
entered the parlor and was introduced… I remember her words " I
hear Lawrence County's biggest politicians are in the house."…
That made us all feel important… She talked in a low quiet tone
and was quite gabby… Her husband worked nights in Huntington and
she operated the "blind tiger" only after 8 p.m. with lights out
at 11 … She spoke of her list of select clientele… No party of
more than 4 were admitted at a time, and each party assigned a
private room. "You never can tell" she said, "the Mayor of
Huntington might be drinking with a party in the next room - We
never mix company." … That's our memory of Burlington 40 years
ago.
Our memories of the town where the
highway on old US 52 makes the big "Z" curve has one of the first
tourist cabins between Ironton and Chesapeake… Those cabins
attracted attention because on the doors of two adjoining small
buildings were the words "Maggie and Jiggs"… Those signs could be
read from the highway and provided many a smile in mixed company…
Not long ago I heard similar buildings called "summer houses"
because some are for men and some are for women.
Today Burlington has a drive-in
theatre, new churches and the old building was a part of Lawrence
County's first courthouse, 120 years ago remains.
1825 - Crumlish, Amelia - Born
just above Burlington on Oct. 31, 1825; see obituary of Mrs.
George, I. R. May 7, 1891.
1827 - Wheeler, Urania M. - Born
November 26, 1827; see obituary of Mrs. McCoy, I. R. June 4, 1903.
1832 - Combs, John - Born
Burlington in 1832; see obituary I. R. Aug. 23, 1894.
