Stockton, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Stockton is a census-designated place
(CDP) in Worcester County
, Maryland
, United States
. The population was 143 at the 2000 census.
from Snow Hill
south to Virginia
(whose track is generally followed by modern Maryland Route 12
) with the road from Mattapony Landing on the Pocomoke River
to the Chincoteague Bay
(the eastern part of which is now Maryland Route 366
), where ocean-going vessels could drop anchor. The landing on Chincoteague Bay came to be known as George Island Landing. Settlement in the area began in the 1660s, when the area was still part of Somerset County
. Worcester County
was separated from Somerset in 1742, and by 1774 Sandy Hill had grown large enough to merit a chapel of ease
within All Hallows' Parish, today called Holy Cross Chapel. Sandy Hill, unlike neighboring Girdletree
, was never incorporated
, but in 1870 the name of the town was officially changed, by act of the legislature, from Sandy Hill to Stockton. In 1872 the Worcester County election district which took its name from Sandy Hill was renamed Stockton.
In 1876, a railroad (which would eventually become part of the Pennsylvania Railroad
) was laid from Franklin City
and Greenbackville
in Virginia to Snow Hill. The line's main purpose was to haul seafood
harvested from the Atlantic Ocean
and Chincoteague Bay to Philadelphia, but the line also carried passengers. To avoid confusion with other Stocktons, the station at Stockton was named Hursley Station.
The center of Stockton was destroyed by fire in 1906, but was soon rebuilt, with many of the new buildings constructed of brick. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Stockton boasted a canning
factory, two sawmill
s, and two barrel
factories. However, the overfishing
of Chincoteague Bay led to a permanent decline in the commercial seafood industry.
A new Stockton High School was dedicated in 1926, but closed in 1942. Stockton's only bank failed in 1929. Passenger trains ended service in the late 1940s, and the last freight train
made its final run through Stockton in approximately 1955. Holy Cross Chapel stopped holding regular services in 1943. The Stockton Poultry Plant opened as World War II
ended, but closed around 1970. Today, Stockton residents are as likely to work at NASA
's Wallops Island Flight Facility
on the Eastern Shore of Virginia
than to be farmers or watermen
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), all of it land.
Maryland Route 12
and Maryland Route 366
cross in the center of Stockton.
Approximately two miles east of Stockton is an extensive network of manmade canals.,
of 2000, there were 143 people, 49 households, and 39 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 82.8 people per square mile (31.9/km²). There were 55 housing units at an average density of 31.8/sq mi (12.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 37.06% White, 60.84% African American, 1.40% Native American, and 0.70% from two or more races.
There were 49 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples
living together, 26.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.4% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 66.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $14,583, and the median income for a family was $25,833. Males had a median income of $13,750 versus $0 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $5,776. There were 42.3% of families and 45.0% of the population living below the poverty line, including 63.8% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Worcester County
Worcester County, Maryland
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*82.0% White*13.6% Black*0.3% Native American*1.1% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.7% Two or more races*1.3% Other races*3.2% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 143 at the 2000 census.
History
Stockton, originally called Sandy Hill, grew up at the crossing of the post roadPost road
For other uses, see Post Road .A post road is a road designated for the transportation of postal mail. In past centuries only major towns had a post house, and the roads used by post riders or mail coaches to carry mail among them were particularly important ones or, due to the special attention...
from Snow Hill
Snow Hill, Maryland
Snow Hill is a town in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,409 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Worcester County.-History:...
south to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
(whose track is generally followed by modern Maryland Route 12
Maryland Route 12
Maryland Route 12 is a state highway on the Eastern Shore in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from the Virginia border south of Stockton, Worcester County, where it continues into Virginia as State Route 679, north to Main Street in the city of Salisbury in Wicomico County...
) with the road from Mattapony Landing on the Pocomoke River
Pocomoke River
The Pocomoke River stretches approximately from southern Delaware through southeastern Maryland in the United States. At its mouth, the river is essentially an arm of Chesapeake Bay, whereas the upper river flows through a series of relatively inaccessible wetlands called the Great Cypress Swamp,...
to the Chincoteague Bay
Chincoteague Bay
Chincoteague Bay is a lagoon between the Atlantic barrier islands of Assateague and Chincoteague and the mainland of Worcester County, Maryland and northern Accomack County, Virginia...
(the eastern part of which is now Maryland Route 366
Maryland Route 366
Maryland Route 366 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for much of its length as Stockton Road, the state highway runs from U.S. Route 13 Business in Pocomoke City east to the entrance of George Island Landing on Chincoteague Bay...
), where ocean-going vessels could drop anchor. The landing on Chincoteague Bay came to be known as George Island Landing. Settlement in the area began in the 1660s, when the area was still part of Somerset County
Somerset County, Maryland
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*53.5% White*42.3% Black*0.3% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.7% Two or more races*1.5% Other races*3.3% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. Worcester County
Worcester County, Maryland
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*82.0% White*13.6% Black*0.3% Native American*1.1% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.7% Two or more races*1.3% Other races*3.2% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
was separated from Somerset in 1742, and by 1774 Sandy Hill had grown large enough to merit a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
within All Hallows' Parish, today called Holy Cross Chapel. Sandy Hill, unlike neighboring Girdletree
Girdletree, Maryland
Girdletree is a census-designated place in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 117 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Girdletree is located at ....
, was never incorporated
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
, but in 1870 the name of the town was officially changed, by act of the legislature, from Sandy Hill to Stockton. In 1872 the Worcester County election district which took its name from Sandy Hill was renamed Stockton.
In 1876, a railroad (which would eventually become part of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
) was laid from Franklin City
Franklin City, Virginia
Franklin City is an unincorporated community in Accomack County, Virginia.Greenbackville and neighboring Franklin City grew as a result of the railroad line laid in the late 19th century to transport oysters and other shellfish from Chincoteague to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City...
and Greenbackville
Greenbackville, Virginia
Greenbackville is a census-designated place 4.5 miles south of Stockton, Maryland in Accomack County, Virginia, located just south of the Maryland state line at . The population as of the 2010 Census was 192...
in Virginia to Snow Hill. The line's main purpose was to haul seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
harvested from the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and Chincoteague Bay to Philadelphia, but the line also carried passengers. To avoid confusion with other Stocktons, the station at Stockton was named Hursley Station.
The center of Stockton was destroyed by fire in 1906, but was soon rebuilt, with many of the new buildings constructed of brick. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Stockton boasted a canning
Canning
Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product, such as canned, dried lentils, can last as...
factory, two sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s, and two barrel
Barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a...
factories. However, the overfishing
Overfishing
Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....
of Chincoteague Bay led to a permanent decline in the commercial seafood industry.
A new Stockton High School was dedicated in 1926, but closed in 1942. Stockton's only bank failed in 1929. Passenger trains ended service in the late 1940s, and the last freight train
Freight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
made its final run through Stockton in approximately 1955. Holy Cross Chapel stopped holding regular services in 1943. The Stockton Poultry Plant opened as World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
ended, but closed around 1970. Today, Stockton residents are as likely to work at NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Wallops Island Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility , located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, is operated by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, primarily as a rocket launch site to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other U.S. government agencies...
on the Eastern Shore of Virginia
Eastern Shore of Virginia
The Eastern Shore of Virginia consists of two counties on the Atlantic coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The region is part of the Delmarva Peninsula and is separated from the rest of Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay. Its population was 45,553 as of 2010...
than to be farmers or watermen
Fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
.
Geography
Stockton is located at 38°3′26"N 75°25′0"W (38.057233, -75.416661).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), all of it land.
Maryland Route 12
Maryland Route 12
Maryland Route 12 is a state highway on the Eastern Shore in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from the Virginia border south of Stockton, Worcester County, where it continues into Virginia as State Route 679, north to Main Street in the city of Salisbury in Wicomico County...
and Maryland Route 366
Maryland Route 366
Maryland Route 366 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for much of its length as Stockton Road, the state highway runs from U.S. Route 13 Business in Pocomoke City east to the entrance of George Island Landing on Chincoteague Bay...
cross in the center of Stockton.
Approximately two miles east of Stockton is an extensive network of manmade canals.,
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 143 people, 49 households, and 39 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 82.8 people per square mile (31.9/km²). There were 55 housing units at an average density of 31.8/sq mi (12.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 37.06% White, 60.84% African American, 1.40% Native American, and 0.70% from two or more races.
There were 49 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 26.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.4% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 66.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $14,583, and the median income for a family was $25,833. Males had a median income of $13,750 versus $0 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $5,776. There were 42.3% of families and 45.0% of the population living below the poverty line, including 63.8% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.