Stoneham is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Grimes County,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, United States. The town was once a part of a colony operated by
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas,Hatch (1999), p. 43. he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization ...
and by 1900, the population grew to 250. Although a ghost town by 1970, the town has since grown in population.
History
The site occupied by present-day Stoneham was first settled by members of Austin's colony. In the 1840s, a
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
meeting house was constructed and later, after the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, a Baptist church was built. These buildings were the only public buildings until railroads were built in the town in 1879.
[World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...]
, the town's population dropped to 100. During this time, three white and three black schools were operated by the Stoneham Common School District.
's High Point Elementary School.
In 1995, a Methodist church, the Stoneham Cemetery, and the Stoneham Community Center, were given Texas State Historical Markers.