City of
Burton
Two miles northwest of the current town lies Burton’s roots. In the 1830’s, Kerr’s Settlement and later Union Hill were thriving communities on the La Bahia Road. With the sale of 330 acres from John & Elizabeth Burton to trustees of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, Burton was born in 1870. Thanks to the railroad, the town flourished while Union Hill disappeared. Through the years Burton became a bustling town with several cotton gins, general stores, saloons, churches, a hotel and a hospital. The railroad was the heartbeat of the town for 90 years until passenger and then freight travel disappeared. While two of the gins closed, one survives to this day. The Burton Farmers Gin is home to a 1925 Bessemer Type IV diesel oil engine. The restored 16 ton “Lady B” is the largest internal combustion engine of its vintage still operating in America! The gin is now the oldest operating cotton gin left in the U.S. and is preserved as part of the Texas Cotton Gin Museum. Each year the gin gets fi ed up and bales cotton during the annual Cotton Gin Festival. In 2022, the festival will be held Sat. April 23. One of Burton’s most well-known inhabitants was Leander H. McNelly. Born March 12, 1844 in Follensbee, Brook County, Virginia. A Texas Ranger in the 1870s, McNelly commanded a special group to bring order to the Nueces Strip. McNelly and his rangers were responsible for saving the King Ranch, one of the largest ranches in the world. After suffering from tuberculosis, McNelly retired in 1876. He died on September 4 of the following year in Burton, Texas. He is buried at Mt. Zion Cemetery where his stately monument was a gift from the King Ranch. Recognizing the importance of the area’s rich history, the Burton Heritage Society organized in March 1973. The group’s mission is to preserve and share the history of the community. Through their dedicated work, the society secured numerous listings in the National Register and “Commercial Historic District '' designation for the downtown. The organization is still going strong and actively maintains and protects the Burton Railroad Depot and the Mt. Zion Historical Chapel. With our location halfway between Houston and Austin, Burton thrives with local commerce, tourism and a vibrant community life. Burton Chamber of Commerce continues its work just as it has since its founding in the 1920s. For more information about the chamber and the Burton area visit www.burtontexas.org. 44
Washington County Chamber Magazine ✪ 2022
