First settlement was by William and Ansel Adams in 1833. The town was named after the gunboat Burlington which had engaged in the War of 1812 and the Great Lakes. The township was set off and organized in the 1836-1837 legislative session. The village was laid out in May 1842 and in 1843 the first store was opened by J. B. Tucker. Levi Houghtaling was the first postmaster. Early township officials included: Justus Goodwin (supervisor), Otis C. Freeman (clerk), Levi Houghtaling (treasurer and constable), William Adams (assessor), Zelina Sanders, Moses S. Gleason and Justus Goodwin (all justices of the peace). The village of Burlington was incorporated in March, 1869.