STOCKHAM

NAME: Stockham COUNTY: Hamilton ROADS: 2WD GRID: 4 CLIMATE: Cold winters, hot/humid summers BEST TIME TO VISIT: Mar-October

COMMENTS: This was a farming town located in southern Hamilton County. It can be reached by driving south from the Aurora exit on I-80, then east for 3 miles. There are a couple dozen residents still living here, but of the original buisness district, only the (now empty) brick post office remains. There is a decaying playground, possibly a remnant of the now long-gone school, and a few empty houses (do not tresspass!) amid the dozen or so still inhabited ones. Most of the gravel street grid is intact, (Its about 6 square blocks) but very few houses are left along the streets. REMAINS: Post office, school playground, some empty houses

This town was platted in the late 1890s and was a thriving (albeit small) farming town up until around World War 2. Its peak population was estimated at around 500. The railroad was removed after the war, which led to the town's rapid decline. The problem was further exacerbated by the lack of any nearby highways; the interstate was built 10 miles to the north, and the nearby county seat of Aurora became the dominant buisness and commercial center for the area. Submitted by: Matt

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