History of Burton

History of Hundred

History of Littleton

Town Histories

 

History of Burton

~Burton Looking North: .Courtesy of Dorothy Hunt~		~Burton Hill: .Courtesy of Dorothy Hunt~

 

.....Burton, a small unincorporated town in Wetzel County's Church District, is located southeast of Hundred. It is believed that Burton was settled in the early 1800’s by Peter Bartrug, a Revolutionary War veteran.

.....Burton was sparsely settled until 1852--the year the main line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached that area. One of the more historic areas in Burton is located at the mouth of Bee Hollow. George Bartrug, a descendent of Peter, sold this piece of land to the B&O Railroad Company in 1852.

.....Of those who labored on building the section of the B&O near Burton, many were Irish immigrants. Many died of disease or in accidents while working on the construction of Glover Gap Tunnel--a tunnel located between Burton and Mannington (in Marion County). Those who survived stayed to settle in the area once the railroad was completed. Others came to the area beginning in the mid-19th century, settling near the railroad right-of-way, having purchased small tracts of forested land. At this time, a large portion of the land in the area was claimed by wealthy absentee owners who had purchased acreage or been given land grants by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

.....Prior to the Civil War, the primary source of income for the community had been the sale of cross-ties to the railroad company. Other ready markets included the production of barrel staves, tanning bark, and agricultural goods such as cattle, wool, grain, and dairy products which were shipped by the B&O from Burton.

.....As the Baltimore and Ohio continued to develop as a major commercial transportation artery, Burton became an important freight and passenger stop. Long freight trains loaded with coal, coke, oil, cattle, sheep, horses, and many other products came puffing into the depot and switched onto the siding to load and unload their freight. A “Y” was constructed where the steam engines could be turned. Large cattle pens were also assembled on railroad property, which were constantly overflowing. Farmers and other residents of the area would obtain supplies such as farming equipment, furniture, clothing, hardware, and some foods by means of freight train. Many passenger trains also ran through the area, continuously dropping people off and picking up others.

.....During the 1880’s, Burton experienced an oil and gas boom, giving birth to the primary industry of the community, which would last up to the demise of the B&O in that area during the mid-1980's.

.....An elementary school was built in Burton in the early 1900’s. It was a two-story building with two rooms on each floor that were heated by pot-bellied coal stoves. Each room housed two grades. First through fourth grades were located downstairs. Fifth through eighth grades were upstairs. The principals taught seventh and eighth grade. The building was struck by lightning in 1919 and burned to the ground. The school was rebuilt, though on a different site in Burton, and opened in 1921.*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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