"Burlington, Harbor, Burlington, Vermont," Special Collections, University of Vermont Library.
A black and white photograph postcard from the early twentieth century shows a view looking southwest towards the Lake Champlain Yacht Club house from Battery Park. The J.R. Booth Lumber office can be seen on the left with the hipped-gable roof. The Pioneer Shops are visible in the foreground. J.R. Booth's lumber yard is visible on the right side of the mid-ground. The breakwater is visible in the background with the Ferry crossing in front of it on the right.
"Burlington Harbor from Battery Park," taken by Kate Lepore on October 16, 2012.
A photograph of the Burlington waterfront looks southwest towards the Burlington Community Boathouse. The breakwater is visible in the mid-ground, cutting across Lake Champlain. The Battery Park foliage obscures the views of the Waterfront Park.
"Burlington Waterfront from Battery Park, Burlington, VT," Special Collections, University of Vermont Library.
A postcard from the early twentieth century shows a view looking southwest towards the Lake Champlain Yacht Club house from Battery Park. The J.R. Booth Lumber office can be seen in the middle of the foreground, with the hipped-gable roof, surrounded by the Pioneer Shops. The breakwater is visible on the right side of the mid-ground.
"Burlington Waterfront from Battery Park," taken by Kate Lepore on October 16, 2012.
A photograph of the Burlington waterfront looks southwest towards the Burlington Community Boathouse. A glimpse of the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center is visible through the trees to the left, in the mid-ground. The breakwater can be seen zigzagging into the distance along the shoreline.
"Burlington, VT, Harbor," The Metropolitan News Co., made in Germany. Special Collections, University of Vermont Library.
A postcard from the early twentieth century shows a view looking southwest towards the Lake Champlain Yacht Club house from Battery Park. The J.R. Booth Lumber office can be seen in the bottom right-hand corner with the hipped-gable roof. Other surrounding buildings are those of the Pioneer Shops with smoke stacks emerging from the lumber processing buildings.
"Burlington Shore and Waterfront Park," taken by Kate Lepore on October 16, 2012.
A photograph of the Burlington waterfront looking southwest towards the Burlington Community Boathouse. A glimpse of the Waterfront Park is visible in the bottom right-hand corner. The breakwater can be seen spanning the shoreline.
"Boat Landing, Burlington, VT," The Metropolitan News Co., made in Germany, 1907. Special Collections, University of Vermont Library.
This postcard shows a view looking southwest towards the Lake Champlain Yacht Club house from Battery Park. The breakwater is just visible on the right edge and the J.R. Booth Lumber yards are visible in the bottom right-hand corner. Smokestacks are seen rising out of the lumber processing buildings along the waterfront.
"College Street Dock and Breakwater," taken by Kate Lepore on October 16, 2012.
A photograph of the Burlington waterfront looks southwest across Lake Champlain towards the Adirondack mountain range. A glimpse of the Burlington Community Boathouse is visible through the trees on the right, while the top of the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center is rising above the tree line on the left. The breakwater extends off to the right.
"Burlington, VT, Harbor from Battery Park," Raphael Tuck and Sons, printed in Holland, Special Collections, University of Vermont Library.
This postcard from the early twentieth century shows a view looking southwest to the Lake Champlain Yacht Club house from Battery Park. The J.R. Booth lumber yards can be seen in the bottom right-hand corner, as well as the J.R. Booth office building emerging from the trees on the left. The Central Vermont Railroad depot is visible on the left with an arched roof and two corner towers. The breakwater stretches across the shoreline in the mid-ground.
"Burlington Community Boathouse from Battery Park," taken by Kate Lepore on October 16, 2012.
A photograph of the Burlington waterfront looking southwest towards the Burlington Community Boathouse and it's docks. A glimpse of the Waterfront Park is visible through the trees in the foreground. The breakwater spans the length of the shoreline.
Pioneer Shops and J.R. Booth's Lumber Company
The Pioneer Shops were some of the earliest industrial buildings to be found on the Burlington waterfront. The Pioneer shops were located northeast of the College Street dock and were bound by Lake Street, Pearl Street, Battery Street, and Bank Street. Although the streets on the waterfront have changed names and locations over the years, the original Pioneer Shop existed in that same area in 1853 and served as a mechanic shop. (27) In 1858, the Pioneer Shops were owned and operated by E.W. Chase, who had several buildings at that time in the Pioneer Shops which were used for the manufacture of window sashes, blinds, doors, moldings, and house and steamboat finish. (28) The Pioneer Shops shifted ownership in 1869 when B.S. Nichols and Co. leased some of the buildings from E.W. Chase for a machine shop, an iron foundry, and lumber sheds, while the Gates, Kilburn, and Company's furniture factory was located in one of the buildings as well. (29) The J.R. Booth Lumber Company located its office in one of the Pioneer Shops in 1877. (30) The Booth Lumber company was just emerging at that time, but was already becoming one of the more popular lumber companies in the area. The J.R. Booth Lumber Company had their advertisement on the coveted front cover page of the Burlington City Directory almost every year from 1880 through the 1930s. J.R. Booth Lumber Company was a lumber manufacturer and wholesale dealer in lumber, shingles, clapboards, and lath packing boxes. In 1878, E.W. Chase sold the Pioneer Shops to J.R. Booth and he expanded his company to include the manufacture of doors, sashes, blinds, and moldings while still leasing shops to B.S. Nichols and Co. and Burlington Shade and Roller Co. (31)
With a thriving business, J.R. Booth's lumber yards occupied a vast area of the waterfront from the present day Waterfront Park north to the Moran Municipal Generating Plant. (32) In March of 1895, the J.R. Booth Lumber plant in the Pioneer Shops experienced a fire. (33) Once the plant was rebuilt, E.J. Booth, brother of J.R. Booth was announced the manager of the lumber company at the grand opening party for the new plant. (34) By the early 1900s J.R. Booth Lumber had grown so large and successful, it had an office in Boston and saw mills in Ottawa, Canada. (35) The Booth Lumber Company was so prosperous, other woodworking companies were referencing J.R. Booth's company in their advertisements. In one such advertisement for Lincoln Roofing in 1907, it was stated "J.R. Booth, the lumber King manufactures all kind of lumber and shingle. He ought to be a pretty good judge of roofing material. We just sold him 75 squares of Lincoln Roofing for his own buildings in Burlington. Don't you think the roofing used by Mr. Booth is good enough for your buildings?" (36)
During the summer of 1919, the J.R. Booth Lumber Plant suffered another fire in the shaving and sawdust storage shed buildings. It was believed that the fire was started by an internal hot air explosion as the night watchman recounted that "Just as he was making his rounds he heard a great roar and saw a huge mass of blazing shavings fly off the roof of the storehouse and into the yard below." (37) The torched buildings were rebuilt and in 1925 J.R. Booth relinquished the company to his brother who renamed it J.E. Booth Lumber Corporation. (38) Over the course of the next few years the Pioneer Shops decreased in number. From 1942-1960 the area along the waterfront where J.R. Booth's lumber yards were once located were covered with bulk fuel tanks from gas companies such as the Tidewater Associated Oil Co., Gulf Oil Corporation, The Texas Co., and Shell Oil Corporation. (39) In 1962, J.E. Booth's Lumber office was listed as vacant in the Burlington City Directory. (40)
During the period from 1970 to 1973 Scott W.H. Corporation occupied the former J.R. Booth office in the Pioneer Shops. (41) As previously mentioned, in the 1990s, the Parks and Recreation Department developed plans to revitalize the waterfront area where the J.R. Booth lumber yards were once located. The former lumber yards were transformed into a walking trail and a waterfront park.
Notes
(27) Map of Burlington, Vermont (Major, NY: Presdee & Edwards, 1853).
(28) "Industry of Burlington," Burlington Weekly Free Press (Burlington, VT), Feb. 16, 1872.
(29) Maps of Burlington Vermont, Chittenden County, (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1869), Sheets 3, 5.
(30) Burlington City Directory, (Burlington, VT: The Free Press Association, 1877), Page 13.
(31) "J.R. Booth Advertisement," Burlington Weekly Free Press (Burlington, VT), Dec. 20, 1878.
(32) Insurance Maps of Burlington Vermont, Chittenden County, (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1885), Sheets 7-10.
(33) "Employees Make Merry," Burlington Weekly Free Press (Burlington, VT), Aug. 29, 1895.
(34) "News Items," Vermont Phoenix (Brattleboro, VT), Jan. 4, 1895, Page 8.
(35) Burlington City Directory, (Burlington, VT: L.P. Waite & Co., 1906), Page 2.
(36) "Lincoln Roofing Advertisement," Middlebury Register (Middlebury, VT), Aug. 30, 1907, Page 4.
(37) "Firemen Overcome by Dense Smoke," Burlington Weekly Free Press (Burlington, VT), July 17, 1919, Page 12.
(38) Burlington City Directory, (Massachusetts: H.A. Manning Co., 1925), Page 387.
(39) Insurance Maps of Burlington Vermont, Chittenden County, (New York, Sanborn Map Company, 1942-1960), Sheets 35-36.
(40) Burlington City Directory, (Massachusetts: H.A. Manning Co., 1962), Page 637.
(41) Burlington City Directory, (Massachusetts: H.A. Manning Co., 1970), Page 638.
