Burton (Images of America)

Burton is known as the "village where history lives"; this is not merely a memorable slogan but an apt description of a vital and unique community that has been host to innumerable historic events and personalities. From being the site of the first telephone lines in Ohio to the home of Seabury Ford, the last Whig governor of Ohio, Burton is rife with history. The only municipal maple sugar camp in the world, which produces maple syrup every spring and manufactures maple candy year-round, resides in Burton, as does the Great Geauga County Fair, the oldest county fair in Ohio. Hundreds of thousands flock to this charming destination every year to attend the various festivities, including the county and apple butter festivals, as well as to indulge in the delicious pancake breakfasts, a staple of a village that has been dubbed "Pancake Town, USA."

Freelance archivists Thomas Kubat and Calvin Rydbom both have master's degrees in library and information science from Kent State University. Jointly, Thomas and Calvin managed and assembled the Burton Memory Project, a digital collection of photographs, documents, oral reminiscences, and letters chronicling the people and events that comprise the history of Burton.