Burton is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in Geauga County,

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, United States. The population was 1,452 at the 2010 census. Burton is the location of Century Village, run by the Geauga Historical Society. The museum village is composed of 19th-century buildings moved there from other locations. Many special events are held there each year, as well as at the Geauga County Fairgrounds, also in Burton.

History

Burton was founded in 1798 and is Geauga County's oldest settlement. Like many other early settlements in the

Connecticut Western Reserve The Connecticut Western Reserve was a portion of land claimed by the Colony of Connecticut and later by the state of Connecticut in what is now mostly the northeastern region of Ohio. The Reserve had been granted to the Colony under the terms o ...

, Burton has a

town square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

patterned after the

village green A village green is a common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for gathering cattle t ...

s of

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

. In 1972, an incident in Burton lead to a U.S. Supreme Court case. Hugo Zacchini performed a human cannonball act at Burton's annual Geauga County Fair, and

WEWS-TV WEWS-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, affiliated with ABC. It has been owned by the E. W. Scripps Company since its inception in 1946, making it one of two stations that have been built and signed on by ...

recorded and aired the entire act against his wishes and without compensating him, as was required by Ohio law. In ''

Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co. ''Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co.'', 433 U.S. 562 (1977), was an important U.S. Supreme Court case concerning rights of publicity. The Court held that the First and Fourteenth Amendments do not immunize the news media from civil li ...

'', the high court ruled in 1977 that the First Amendment did not shield the broadcaster from liability from

common law copyright Common law copyright is the legal doctrine that grants copyright protection based on common law of various jurisdictions, rather than through protection of statutory law. In part, it is based on the contention that copyright is a natural right ...

claims. A historical marker is placed at 41° 28.25′ N, 81° 8.692′ W indicating the location for the first telephone station in the state of Ohio (1877). Burton, Ohio, First telephone station in Ohio

Burton, Ohio, First telephone station in Ohio

Geography

Burton is located at (41.471584, -81.146888). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the village has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 1,452 people, 581 households, and 362 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 640 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 1.2%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population. There were 581 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.7% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the village was 42.8 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.1% were from 45 to 64; and 21.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,450 people, 585 households, and 373 families living in the village. The

was 1,308.1 people per square mile (504.4/km²). There were 610 housing units at an average density of 550.3 per square mile (212.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.45%

, 0.69%

, 0.21% Asian, 0.07%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.14% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.90% of the population. There were 585 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were

living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.94. In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. The median income for a household in the village was $41,830, and the median income for a family was $51,250. Males had a median income of $35,417 versus $24,519 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $19,516. About 5.4% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Local elementary and secondary public education is provided by the Berkshire Local School District, which also serves the surrounding communities of Burton Township, Claridon Township and Troy Township. The school district's one high school, Berkshire High School, is located just north of Burton's town square. The district's only elementary school is located in Burton. The Claridon Elementary School was closed in 2005, and the Troy Elementary School was closed in 2009.

Transportation

State highways

* , Ohio State Route 87 traverses the village and encircles the town square. * , Ohio State Routes

168 Year 168 ( CLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Apronianus and Paullus (or, less frequently, year 921 ''Ab urbe co ...

and

700 The denomination 700 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Avar and Slavic tribes conq ...

become concurrent just south of the village and terminate at the junction of Ohio State Route 87 at the southern end of the town square.

Events

Burton hosts the Apple Butter festival every fall, and the Great Geauga County Fair every Labor Day weekend.

Notable people

* Marion Howard Dunham, teacher, activist, suffragist * Henry Lawrence Hitchcock, sixth President of

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...

* Emily Pomona Edson Briggs, 19th-century journalist * Harry Smith, professional ten-pin bowler and member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame (born in Burton)

References

External links

Village website

Berkshire Local School District

Burton Public Library

Historical museum
{{Authority control Villages in Geauga County, Ohio Amish in Ohio Populated places established in 1798 1798 establishments in the Northwest Territory Villages in Ohio