Remember when Burlington was on fire and the library was a roller rink? Bob Blanchard does

Citizen historian Bob Blanchard walks through Burlington with a different pair of eyes from the average Vermonter.

Strolling down South Winooski Avenue, Blanchard recalls when a garbage-filled ravine used to run under the city. Looking at the library, he sees the roller rink that used to stand in its place. Turning to the court house, he remembers that the building was once home to the grandest theater Burlington has ever seen.

On April 17, Blanchard published his most recent book, "Lost Burlington, Vermont," which digs into the history of over 60 landmarks that used to exist in Burlington, but no longer do. The book is based off of the popular Facebook group Blanchard founded, called "Burlington Area History," which has over 24,000 members.

Following the publication of his book, Blanchard gave the Burlington Free Press a historical tour of our town, revealing some surprising tidbits along the way.

The Burlington Ravine

Downtown Burlington used to be cut diagonally by a deep ravine formed thousands of years ago by the Winooski River running into Lake Champlain.

During the mid-1800's, the ravine served as a path for the Vermont Central Railroad, which had a line running from Essex Junction to the Burlington Waterfront. By the early 1860's, Vermont Central completed construction of a rail tunnel running under North Ave, and abandoned the tracks on the ravine.

After serving as a railroad conduit, the ravine took on a less glamorous role: Burlington's unofficial garbage disposal.

"There was no city dump back in the early days. And so a lot of trash went into the ravine at that point," Blanchard said. "There's accounts of hordes of flies in the summer and stench and everything else. So the ravine was a pretty dreadful place for a number of years."

To make matters worse, many of the city's sewage lines were open ended, dumping sewage into the ravine.

Back then, the Burlington Waterfront was a hub for industry − primarily lumber. Much of the sawdust generated by these factories was dumped into the ravine.

The problem with piles of wood shavings dumped into a ravine full of decomposing waste (among many things) is that it's a recipe for spontaneous combustion. A lot of fires broke out in the ravine dumps.

"Matter of fact, there was one article where a man is complaining how shameful it is that a city like Burlington, the preeminent city in the state, the first thing you see before coming into the downtown core is this smoking inferno coming out of this hole in the ground," Blanchard said. "He compared it to having a volcano."

The ravine lasted until the late 19th century, when it was finally filled in.

Remnants of the ravine can still be seen in spots throughout Burlington, such as the corner of Church and King streets, which dips into the ground before rising up again towards South Winooski Avenue.

From Roller Rink to Library

On a more positive note, Blanchard recounted a little-known fact about the Fletcher Free Library.

"Back in the 1880s, they built a gigantic roller skating rink right here where the library stands now," Blanchard said. "It was an immense wooden building, 160 by 60 approximately. It sat like 600 people, because people would come to listen to the band and watch the people roller skate."

The rink opened in 1884, back when a national fad for roller skating was sweeping the country. Unfortunately the craze did not last long, and the rink closed just two years later.

From Play House to Court House

In 1904, the Strong Theater opened in Burlington on the corner of Main Street and South Winooski Avenue, where Courthouse Plaza stands today.

"This building was massive," Blanchard. "I think in the opening days it sat 1,600 people."

The theater was a venue for vaudeville and other acts that traveled through town.

"The Strong was magnificent. It was probably the most elaborate theater ever in Burlington," Blanchard said. "It was the only theater ever in Burlington that had two balconies."The theater stood until 1971, when it was burned in what many suspect was an act of arson, according to Blanchard. For several years after, there was a hole in the ground where the theater used to be, until in 1987 the Courthouse Plaza opened.

Contact April Fisher at amfisher@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AMFisherMedia

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Historian Bob Blanchard recounts little-known Burlington history