Had Lee Burton been present at the opening of King Tutankhamen’s tomb, with its treasures of gold and splendid trappings of royalty, he would have been sadly disappointed that there were no canning house tokens, labels or oyster tins.
These and numerous other collectibles made up the private treasure trove he amassed over the years. Mr. Burton maintained his love for the canning industry, from its beginning until his death. His varied stations in life were as interesting as the items he collected.
Recently his only surviving brother, George Burton of Cambridge, turned over much of Mr. Burton’s private collection to the Dorchester County Historical Society. Carol Lacy, newly elected president of the DCHS, announced the acquisition this month.
“The Historical Society is pleased to accept this very large portion of Lee Burton’s Dorchester County memorabilia which includes canning house labels, and cans (some empty-some full-all labeled), oyster knives, oyster tins, and several boxes of research papers,” Mrs. Lacy said.
Mr. Burton was the eldest son of R. Lee and Lula Mumford Burton. After graduating from Cambridge High School, he attended Salisbury State, where he received a Bachelor of Science in education. He later attended the University of Delaware, where he received his Master’s Degree in 1956.
He spent three years teaching in Talbot County schools, followed by four years in the military from 1942-1946. He was awarded the Purple Heart.
With all the positions he held in the military, government and educational fields, he would probably like to be remembered for his hobby of collecting local history, in particular the history of the canning industry.
About four years ago, Mr. Burton offered a tour of his “mini-museum” at his residence, the family home on Willis Street. The first floor consisted of numerous photographs of family and friends and a collection of ash trays that took up his entire dining room table. He could say and where he got them, and came close to what he paid for them.
On the second floor of his home, the tour began. Canning house memorabilia, wood-handled oyster knives, oyster tins were included in the items. Also featured was an extensive collection of coins and canning house tokens.
Mr. Burton prided himself more than anything else on the book he authored, “Canneries of the Eastern Shore,” where he presented a comprehensive view of the canning industry on the Shore. He pinpointed the location of just about all of the 204 sited in Dorchester alone, and said that at “any given time there would have been 35 in operation.”
This book is a fascinating encyclopedia of cannery information, but is now out of print and very scarce.
“It is a real honor to add Mr. Burton’s collection to our growing inventory. Of special interest are his research notes, which are a real treasure,” Mrs. Lacy said. “Some of the collection of cans and labels are already displayed in the Neild kitchen and Robbins Heritage Center. Later they will become a part of our canning exhibit. Researchers, tourists, schools and other organizations utilize our facilities.
“We hope others will realize the importance of making donations such as Mr. Burton has done. Saving our county’s history and heritage depends on the public support.”
This is a portion of the collection of cans and labels from canneries and oyster houses, the majority of which represent businesses on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. These items and other memorabilia were donated to the Dorchester County Historical Society by George Burton of Cambridge on behalf of his late brother, R. Lee Burton. These items are displayed in the Neild Museum Kitchen and the Canning exhibit in the Robbins Heritage Center.