Historical Maps of Burlington and Winooski Now Online
Monday, February 25th, 2013
The Center for Digital Initiatives has launched its first collection of Vermont maps, “Historical Maps of Burlington and Winooski.” Ten of the most frequently used maps in Special Collections are now available online.
The collection contains wall maps, city plans, and atlas sheets published between 1830-1890, a period when Burlington became the largest city in Vermont and a center of commerce and industry on Lake Champlain. The earlier maps show the village and rural sections of the town of Burlington, which extended from Lake Champlain on the east to Muddy Brook on the west, and from the Winooski River on the north and the town of Shelburne on the south. Later maps cover the City of Burlington, which was established in 1865 when most of the rural areas were set off to create the town of South Burlington. Maps of the neighboring village of Winooski are also included in the collection.
The maps show streets, buildings and lots, building owners’ names and functions, parks, cemeteries, wards, railroads, and some natural features. Some of the maps include illustrations of prominent buildings and business directories.
A zoom function makes it possible to extract detailed information, such as the horse racing track at Howard Park in the southern part of town on the 1890 map of Burlington.
The University of Vermont as shown on one of the 1869 maps.
A section of the business directory on the 1869 map of Winooski Falls.
