Chatham Real Estate
Chatham is located in what was once open prairie between Lick Creek and Panther Creek in Sangamon County, which at that time was about the center of the new state of Illinois, approximately ten miles south of Springfield.
Farmers and their families settled Chatham in 1816. Splendid fields of corn, almost without exception from ten to fifteen feet high sprang up over the area. The high degree of fruitfulness attracted many to settle here.
The lives of many Chatham people were interwoven with Abraham Lincoln. In 1837, two state senators and seven representatives from Sangamon County managed to convince the General Assembly to move the State Capitol from Vandalia to Springfield. These legislators called the “Long Nine”, included Lincoln and John Dawson. Lincoln was a good friend of Rev. Josiah Porter, minister of the Chatham Presbyterian Church. Dr. John Lewis, of Chatham, and Lincoln surveyed and purchased rights to build the railroad from Springfield through Chatham to St. Louis.
Local Chatham Resources:
- Village of Chatham Facebook Page
- Village of Chatham Website
- Ball-Chatham School District Facebook Page
- Ball-Chatham School District Website
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