
BHS Publications
Below is a list of publications produced with the help of The Burlington Historical Society over the years. Many of these are still available through A Different Drummer bookstore in Burlington or through the BHS directly. Feel free to drop into one of our meetings or contact us for more information.

Brant Inn Memories
2008
Softcover
Stewart Brown
John Murray Anderson turned the Brant Inn into a nightclub that grew to be internationally renowned and put Burlington on the map. With his personal connections with the Brant Inn, local writer Stewart Brown was able to bring the many memories of this once vibrant nightclub alive. Brant Inn Memories recalls stories ranging from the entertainers to the Inn’s employees, from the club’s owner to the building itself, in a way that will take the reader back in time to the dancing era when big bands, swing and jazz were the essence of an evening out.

Burlington Streets: What’s Behind the Name
2000
Softcover
Peggy and Les Armstrong
A compilation of the origins of the street names of Burlington. This book is the only record detailing the naming of this city’s streets.

Burlington: Memories of Pioneer Days
1989
Softcover
Dorothy Turcotte
A history of the early pioneers, both United Empire Loyalists and immigrants from the British Isles, who settled in the Burlington area. Many of the names in this book are to be found among present-day families in Burlington. Covers the period from 1780 through the 19th century.

Burlington: The Growing Years
1992
Softcover
Dorothy Turcotte
This book continues the history of Burlington as it developed through the 20th century. Brief biographies of early families and their accomplishments.

Catherine Bell Van Norman: Her Diary 1850
1981
Softcover
Edited by Vicki Gudgeon
A glimpse into the everyday life of a young wife and mother during six months in 1850. We see her coping not only with her own, eventually fatal illness, but those of her own children, family members and friends. Insights are also gained into Methodist piety including Catherine’s own spiritual struggles, as well as her relationship with her husband and the general routines in the lives of a large, extended family.

Farewell to the Garden of Canada
2024
Softcover
Murray W. Fisher
Being a record of the disappearance of the Farms & Farmers of Southern Nelson Township (now Burlington), from the early 1900s.
Including memories of growing up and working on the Fisher farm until 1969 when the farmland was sold to eventually become the site of Burlington Centre.

From Pathway to Skyway Revisited: The Story of Burlington
1997
Softcover
Claire Emery Machan
This updated version of From Pathway to Skyway is a comprehensive history of Burlington from the Pleistocene Era to 1996. It is an invaluable aid to research in Burlington History.

Meet Me at the Brant Inn
2005
DVD
John Best
This highly entertaining DVD contains historic film footage and photographs, recordings and audio tapes which bring to life this fabulous entertainment venue and the exceptional showman who made it all happen. During the first half of the 20th century, the Brant Inn featured almost every famous entertainer and Big Band of the era. The Brant Inn thrilled patrons with performers the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Sophie Tucker, Fats Waller, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman … a list of luminaries that seemed to go on forever. This highly entertaining documentary features well-known celebrities and many others with their interesting and often humorous reminiscences of this fabulous place.

Some Jottings Along My Life’s Journey
1984
Softcover
Peter Fisher
Written by Peter Fisher, edited by Helen Langford with an introduction by Murray Fisher. A brief notebook of reminiscences of his life in nineteenth-century Burlington by a member of a well-known area family.
