What Structures Remain From Before 1890?
By Amanda Ciampolillo
The area outlined in this paper has not been covered in any previous Researching Historic Structures and Sites class. There were no prior maps showing this section of Burlington, Vermont, and numbered street addresses were not common. This has made it impossible to prove beyond all doubt that specific individuals occupied houses, however, certain ties do emerge.
In estimating the date of construction for the structures contained within this report, the date proposed in most cases signifies a date between Burlington City Directories. If a person was seen at one address in a Directory, and then at another address in the subsequent Directory, it is assumed that the building was built in the interim. This area of Burlington was beginning to be developed at this time, so while it is possible that the houses in this section could be older than the dates presented, it is assumed the names traced from the 1890 Hopkins map are the original occupants.
North Avenue served as the major road that connected the City of Burlington to the outlying northern farmlands. This corridor experienced a period of rapid growth as Burlington grew, aided in no small part by the completion of a trolley line to this area in 1888. Immigrant workers poured into Burlington to work in the prosperous lumberyards and factories lining the waterfront. These French Canadians, Irish, and Germans soon founded small ethnic neighborhoods along the side streets of North Avenue.1
During the time period covered in the following pages, both what is now Manhattan Drive and Washington Street were known as North Bend.
1 Karen Czaikowski. Historic Sites and Structures Survey, North Burlington (VT: Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, 1983).To facilitate navigation of this site, please utilize the Quick Links menu.
Unless otherwise noted, all photographs were taken by the author.