![]() ![]() Burlington became a bustling lumbering and manufacturing center – for some time the third largest lumber market in the world – and was incorporated as a city in 1865. Wharves allowed steamboats to connect freight and passengers with the Rutland & Burlington Railroad and the Vermont Central Railroad. The town's position on Lake Champlain helped it develop into a port of entry and center for trade, particularly after completion of the Champlain Canal in 1823, the Erie Canal in 1825, and the Chambly Canal in 1843. The American troops involved were commanded by Naval Lieutenant Thomas Macdonough, later a hero of the Battle of Lake Champlain. The cannonade lasted about 10 minutes and caused no casualties. This is described as either a bold stroke by the British with an ineffectual response from the Americans or as a weak sally by the British, which was rightly ignored by the Americans. In a skirmish on August 2, 1813, British forces from Canada shelled Burlington. Some soldiers were quartered in the main building at the University of Vermont, where a memorial plaque commemorates them. About 500 soldiers died of disease, which was always a problem due to poor sanitation in army camps. had 5,000 troops stationed in Burlington, outnumbering residents and putting a strain on resources. Vermont voters supported the Federalist Party, which opposed the war. Neither Vermont nor other New England states provided militia units or financial support. ![]() The War of 1812 was unpopular in Vermont and the rest of New England, which had numerous trading ties with Canada. In 1808 the world's first lake-going steamboat was built in Burlington. In the summer of 1775, settlers began clearing the land and built two or three log huts, but the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War delayed permanent settlement until after its conclusion. One of the New Hampshire grants, the land that was developed as Burlington was awarded by New Hampshire colonial governor Benning Wentworth on June 7, 1763, to Samuel Willis and 63 others. While no Burling family members are listed as grantees of the town, the family held large tracts of land in nearby towns, some of which were granted on the same day as Burlington. The first is that it was named after Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, and the second is that the name honors the politically prominent and wealthy Burling family of New York. ![]() Two theories have been put forward regarding the origin of Burlington's name. For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Burlington, Vermont. ![]()
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