Stockland

Stockland Township

Stockland Township was formerly called Crab Apple from an estimated seventy acre grove of crab apple trees. It is believed the name change occurred sometime in 1864 when Alba Honeywell suggested the name Stockland.

The first settlement was made by Samuel Williamson who settled Crab Apple Grove in March 1832. His sons B.P. and Philip later joined him. Thomas Wallace was the next settler in 1835. he could survey and assisted Wm. Pickrell in laying out the village of Milford. In 1834-35 the James Cain family came into the area. The Williamsons in 1850 sold all their land to Edward C. Sumner II, a resident of adjoining Benton County, Indiana. In the same year Samuel and John Nolin, Thomas Crawford, Nathan and David Cleaver, Asa Williamson, William Parker and a Somes family joined the Community. In 1851 John Jones, Elisha Dawson, Jonathan D. Stokes entered and in 1852 John B. Herriman, George Freeman and Samuel Callahan settled. Descendants of these families are still prominent in the community. Stockland boasts that approximately 25 farms are still in the hands of heirs of the original settlers and owners of over 100 years.

Before 1856 Crab Apple formed a part of Milford precinct but on April 1, 1856, Crab Apple with Prairie Green formed a political township. This existed for only a short time when they became separate townships.

The first post office was Bellwood established in 1854 with J.H. Jones as postmaster who had the office in his home. In 1902 E. J. Reed was appointed postmaster and the Reeds held this office for three generations. E. J. Reed and his brother W. T. Reed had the first merchandise and grocery store in the village. Other early businesses were Lockhart-Chancellor Elevator, the Sumner Elevator, Reeves and now Stockland Grain Co.; David Hardware bought by Wm. German in 1940 and then to Carl Sinn in 1947, now Bertram; Levi Williams, Tapps, Carrs, and Orville Fisher, and others.

A log building erected in 1850 on Benjamin Burt land was the first school house. Being located in the timber and brush it was called "Brush College". Wm. Williamson was the teacher. In 1872 the township was divided into ten school districts. Stockland became the first district high school in the county in 1907 and one of the first community consolidated schools in the State of Illinois in 1940.

Early township meetings were first held in the Gothic School then moved to Vienna (nicknamed Hard Scrabble, supposedly from the number of squabbles that took place there). In 1894 the first Town Hall was built north of present Stockland at the edge of the timber on the west side of the road (property now owned by Maynard Mowrey.) It was moved to the village of Stockland in 1902 where it now stands. Judge John H. Gillan who was the County Surveyor at that time surveyed Stockland around 1901.

The Sumner family started a bank in the town in 1902 and in 1904 Dr. C. S. Montgomery came to Stockland. He had the distinction of being Stockland's first and only doctor. He practiced in the village for 52 years.

Besides the village of Stockland, another village started in the eastern part of the township. Wm M. Dawson and Christopher Truman requested John H. Gillan, Surveyor, to subdivide the area now known as Dawson Park. At the time it was said one side of the road was known as Dawson Park and the other side was Trumanville.

In the Southwest part of the township was an area known as Fairview. A church and a school were located here and the community was very active. Another locality was Cutmer which was a spur on the railroad.

In 1853 the first religious society was organized when a class of United Brethren met. It was later formed into the Sugar Creek Chapel. The second church group was the Antioch Christian Chapel. Their services were first held in the Gothic School house until 1867 when they build a chapel at the cost of $1600. In 1892 this was destroyed by fire. The congregation built on a site one mile east of Old Antioch. This became known as the Fairview Corners so the new church took the name of Fairview Christian Church. On Sunday, June 26, 1924 the church was struck by lightning and destroyed. The congregation decided to disband and became affiliated with Milford and Stockland churches.

The Methodist group was organized by Isabel Taylor in192 and the first Sunday School and Church was held in the Samuel Nolin Tenant farm house and later moved to the Mitchell School until the new Crab Apple M.E. Church building was completed and dedicated in the fall of 1893. This was located between what is now known as Nolin bridge and the Cutmer road. This same building was moved to the present location in 1905. It was remodeled and rededicated in 1906 and called the Stockland Methodist Church. The church has always had an organization of active dedicated churchwomen.

Dawson Park area was served by the Untied Brethren. A church building was moved from Milford and regular Sunday services were held. As the population dwindled, the church closed its doors and the congregation went elsewhere.

In 1867, the Chicago, Danville and Vincennes Railroad asked aid in building a railroad through the township. Six Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty Dollars was offered and paid, but not a rail touched any part of the township. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific R.R. in 1905 built a railroad through the township. A spur line of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois, built in 1900-02, went to Freeland Park, Indiana. There were two trains running daily to accommodate the communities.

Organizations in Stockland are the 4-H Blue Ribbon, Started in 1935 by Everett Sullivan and Glen Smiley, Star Camp Royal Neighbors, instituted in 1909, The American Legion, established in 1940 and The American Legion Auxiliary in 1940.

Lawrence S. Johnson, a Stockland farmer who died in 1971 specified in his will that income from his farm be used to provide scholarship funds for students of Stockland Township seeking a higher education. To date $27, 696 had been distributed among 11 Stockland students.

On June 10, 1939, a tornado hit Stockland Township destroying several homes and doing considerable damage.

Abridge that has always been an added attraction to the Stockland community is the Sugar Creek Chapel bridge which was made from the iron which helped support the dome of the Administration Building at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

©2005 Carrol Mick and Illinois Genealogy Trails