Hampshire, IL

Hampshire is a small town located in central Illinois. The population was 2,711 at the 2010 census. The town is located in McLean County and is bordered by Hampshire to the north, Princeton to the east, Jacksonville to the south, and Plainfield to the west.

The history of real estate in Hampshire dates back to 1837 when land was first surveyed and sold. In that year, James A. Smith purchased 160 acres for $1,000 from John W. Browning. Smith built a cabin on his land and began farming it. He eventually sold his farm to James Haines who operated it as a dairy farm until 1886 when he subdivided it into lots and built homes on them. In 1888, Haines sold his property to Jno Dickson who operated a grocery store there until 1902 when he also subdivided it into lots and began selling homes. Dickson was followed by George Wickersham who opened a general store in 1904 and continued operating it until 1922 when he also started selling homes. In 1924, Harry Schieffer opened an automobile dealership there which he continued operating until 1942 when he sold all of his property except for one lot on which he built a home which he still occupies today (Schieffer Avenue).

The early years of real estate development in Hampshire were characterized by small lots with modest homes constructed of wood frame construction with shingle or clapboard siding. As the town grew larger and more developed, new housing styles were introduced including brick veneer construction with aluminum or vinyl siding; concrete block construction; ranch style houses; Tudor Revival style homes; Cape Cod style houses; split level houses; log cabins; mobile home parks; condominiums; single family detached dwellings (SFD); multi-family dwellings (MFD); apartments/condos/townhouses etc... Today there are many types of housing available including: single family detached dwellings (SFD), multi-family dwellings (MFD), apartments/condos/townhouses etc...