Robert Wilton Burton (1848-1917) - Auburn, AL - Alabama Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Marker Text:

(Side 1)
Near this site once stood "Four-Story Cottage," the home of Robert Wilton Burton. A one-story house with wide porch and bay window, Burton built it in 1885 with proceeds from the sale of four stories to children's magazines. Born in Camden County, Georgia, Burton grew up in Lafayette, Alabama, where he began writing stories for the newspaper, on various subjects. In the early 1870’s, with his brother, he opened a bookstore in Opelika, Alabama. In 1878, at the request of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama, Burton opened the first bookstore in Auburn. It was soon known as the "Coffee House of the College City."

(Side 2)
Burton wrote numerous local color stories for national magazines and newspapers. Many of his best tales, in Negro dialect, feature "Marengo Jake" Mitchell, a former slave in Auburn known for his tall tales. In 1991, these stories were published as De Remnant Truth. An active Presbyterian, Burton also served as Secretary of the Town Board of Education, County School Superintendent, Clerk of the Town Council, and Secretary to the College Board of Trustees. His bookstore was sold in 1968; his home dismantled in 1993.

Marker Name: Robert Wilton Burton (1848-1917) Marker Type: Urban Addtional Information:: Erected by the Auburn Heritage Association and Historic Chattahoochee Commission. Also see: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-3168 Date Dedicated / Placed: 1999 Marker Number: Not Listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/12/2022 Markerman62 visited it