Burlington is a city situated on the banks of the Delaware River in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,743, a decrease of 177 (−1.8%) from the 9,920 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 184 (+1.9%) from the 9,736 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023. The city, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area.Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD Combined Statistical Area, United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 1, 2023.
Burlington was first incorporated on October 24, 1693, and was reincorporated by Royal charter on May 7, 1733. After American independence, the city was incorporated by the State of New Jersey on December 21, 1784. On March 14, 1851, the city was reincorporated and enlarged with portions of the surrounding township.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. Accessed May 1, 2026.
Burlington was originally the county seat of Burlington County. In 1796, in response to the growth of population to the east away from the Delaware River, the county seat was moved to Mount Holly Township, a more central location.History , Burlington County Prison Museum. Accessed September 21, 2011. "When the county seat was moved to Mount Holly in 1796, the federal-style courthouse was newly completed the same year."
History The council of West Jersey Proprietors purchased roughly of riverfront land in 1676 from the Lenape Native Americans. Burlington was founded on part of that land by English settlers (primarily Quakers) in 1677. It served as the capital of the province until 1702, when West Jersey and East Jersey were combined into a single Crown Colony.Walton, Jean R. "New Jersey County Formation, New Jersey Postal History Society. Accessed September 24, 2011. "The Capital of East Jersey was moved to Perth Amboy (then just Amboy) in 1683. Burlington, founded in 1677, was named Capital of West Jersey in 1681. In 1702, these two proprietorships were combined into one Crown Colony, but the two Capitals were maintained until the Revolutionary War, with the Governor sharing his time between each."
Burlington takes its name (including the county name) from the town of Bridlington, England of which Burlington was a district. It is now amalgamated into the larger Bridlington town."The Founding of the Quaker colony of West Jersey", Independence Hall Association. Accessed September 24, 2011. 'At Chygoes Island they laid out a town. "After locating the main street, they divided the land on each side into lots – the easternmost among the Yorkshire proprietors, the other among the Londoners. The town was first called Beverly, then Bridlington, and finally Burlington.' (Smith's History of NJ)"Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 28, 2015.Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 61. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed August 28, 2015.
The Quakers formally established their congregation in 1678. Initially, they met in private homes; between 1683 and 1687, Francis Collings constructed a hexagonal meeting house of brick. Over the next century, the membership grew substantially and a larger building was needed. The present meeting house on High Street was built in 1783 in front of the old meeting house and cemetery. The cemetery predated the first building. A tablet commemorates that the Lenape chief King Ockanickon, a loyal friend of the English settlers, was buried here in 1681. The oldest gravestone is inscribed "D.B. 1726." Many notable Quakers are buried here.Intensive Level Architectural Survey of Burlington City, McCabe & Associates, 2002
One of the oldest buildings in Burlington is known as the Revell House. Originally built in 1685 for George Hutchinson, it stood on East Pearl Street. The property was purchased by Thomas Revell, one of the original Anglo-European settlers. Local tradition associates this house with the young Benjamin Franklin, who received gingerbread from the household while traveling from Boston to Philadelphia.See Over 40 Historic Sites: 26-30 , City of Burlington Historic District. Accessed July 1, 2011
In the early 20th century, the house was purchased by the Annis Stockton Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution for use as their clubhouse. The Colonial Burlington Foundation acquired and restored it in the 1950s.
18th century
Many institutions established in the 18th century continue to function in the 21st century. After the Quakers, the second oldest religious congregation in Burlington were the Anglicans (later known as Episcopalians). Their original church, Old St. Mary's, is the oldest church in Burlington and New Jersey. The congregation was founded in 1702 by George Keith and John Talbot. Talbot became the first minister and laid the cornerstone for the church in 1703. He served as the church's rector until 1725. The congregation prospered, and the church became the see of the Anglican bishops of New Jersey.
After the Revolution, the Episcopal Church in the United States was established. In 1846, under the leadership of Bishop and Rector George Washington Doane, construction was begun on New St. Mary's. This early Gothic Revival architecture church was designed by Richard Upjohn, who also designed Trinity Church at the foot of Wall Street in Lower Manhattan.New St. Mary's, St. Mary's Episcopal Church. Accessed July 1, 2011. In the late 20th century, this building was designated as a National Historic Landmark (NHL).
Bishop Doane founded an Episcopal girls' boarding school, St. Mary's, in Burlington in 1838, at a time when interest in girls' education led to development of schools for them in many areas. Girls from families up and down the East Coast came to study there, from as far as New England, Virginia, and upstate New York. St. Mary's provided a classical education, as well as classes in arts and music.
The Library Company of Burlington was organized in 1757 as a "free" library open to the public as well as members. There were 60 members of the original Library Company, each paying ten shillings per year to support the institution. The Library received a Charter from George II of Great Britain in 1758. The Library's books were kept in members' homes for a few years: Thomas Rodman's at 446 South High Street and, after 1767, Robert Smith's at 218 High Street. In 1789 the Library moved to its own building. In the early 21st century, the Library is housed in a stone building that was built on West Union Street in 1864. The Burlington Library is the oldest continuously operating library in New Jersey and the nation's seventh oldest.Centuries of Service , Library Company of Burlington. Accessed July 1, 2011. "It is the oldest library in continuous operation in New Jersey, and has the distinction of being the seventh oldest in the United States."
The Endeavor Fire Company was organized in 1795. It was one of the four companies in the Burlington Fire Department when it was organized almost a century later. Endeavor was the first permanent firefighting organization in Burlington and remains one of the oldest fire companies under its original name in the state.Shermerhorn, William. The History of Burlington, New Jersey (Burlington, NJ: Press of Enterprise Publishing Co., 1927) By 1882, the company had relocated to its present building, which was erected in 1852 as a Market House.
Burlington has been the home of many notable people including John Lawrence, a politician and his son, Captain James Lawrence. The elder Lawrence served in the State Assembly, as Mayor of Burlington, New Jersey in 1769, and as a member of the Provincial Council from 1771 to 1775. He was suspected of being a Loyalist during the American Revolution, which ended his career. His son was born on October 1, 1781, and fought during the War of 1812. Lawyer and writer James Fenimore Cooper, who wrote The Last of the Mohicans, was also from Burlington. His father was a merchant there before buying land and developing Cooperstown, New York after the Revolution.
19th century As education for girls and young women became emphasized in the 19th century, Bishop George Washington Doane founded St. Mary's Hall in 1837 in association with the Episcopal diocese as the first Episcopal boarding school offering a classical education for girls and the first such school in New Jersey.St. Mary's Hall , New Jersey Women's History. Accessed October 16, 2019. "Bishop George Washington Doane founded St. Mary's Hall on May 1, 1837 as an academic, private Episcopal school for girls. At that time, most schools for girls were finishing schools, not institutions like St. Mary's where girls studied the same subjects as boys. St. Mary's was only the third 'church' school for girls in the country and the first in New Jersey." In the 20th century, a boys' school was added. It is now known as Doane Academy and is a private, co-educational school for grades from Pre-K through 12th.
The building at 301 High Street houses the oldest continuously operating pharmacy in New Jersey. Originally a dwelling, the ground floor was converted to commercial use around 1845 by William Allinson, a druggist, local historian, and leading Quaker abolitionist. He used the building as a center of anti-slavery activity.Underground Railroad Tour , City of Burlington Historic District. Accessed June 14, 2012. "301 High Street: This is New Jersey's oldest pharmacy in continuous operation. Burlington Pharmacy was built in 1731, the numerals spelled out in bricks on the gable end facing Union Street. In 1841 commenced pharmacy operations. It was owned, then, by Quaker William J. Allinson, an active abolitionist who used it as a forum for anti-slavery rallies." John Greenleaf Whittier denounced slavery from the doorstep, and local tradition holds that fugitive slaves hid in tunnels under the building in their passage on the Underground Railroad. New Jersey ended slavery, but many fugitives wanted to go farther north, beyond the reach of slave catchers.
During the 19th century, Burlington City was known for the quality and quantity of its manufacturing. The shoe industry rivaled shipbuilding and canning in prominence. The 1850 United States census indicates that the largest number of men were employed in the shoe industry, followed closely by carpentry and bricklaying. J. Frank Budd got his start in the shoe business at a Burlington shoe company just after the Civil War. In 1887, J.F. Budd broke ground for a children's "shoeworks" at the corner of Penn and Dilwyn streets. The company employed approximately 325 people and operated six days a week for ten hours a day. The J.F. Budd Baby Shoe Company billed itself as the "largest baby shoe plant in the world."
The commercial activity provided revenues for the city's cultural activity. In 1839, a Lyceum was erected as a venue for lectures, concerts, and public meetings. It served in that capacity until 1851, when it was turned over to the city to be used as the City Hall. The municipal offices' move was concurrent with the adoption of a new City charter.
The Oneida Boat Club was organized in 1873 by a group of 10 members. It is named for one of the original Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, based in New York. Over the next few years, membership in the club grew rapidly. In 1876, they dedicated their newly built clubhouse on the banks of the Delaware River at York Street. The Oneida is the oldest continuously operating boat club located on the Delaware River.