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Williamsburg

Ghost town · Shelby County, Illinois

Shelbyville quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1942, 1:62,500)
Shelbyville quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1942, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Williamsburg is a ghost town in Shelby County, Illinois. It is one of 2 former communities in Shelby County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 50th among the 78 Illinois counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Williamsburg as a historical populated place on the Lakewood topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 39.2953° N, 88.9376° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleLakewood
Elevation675 ft
Nearest living townLakewood, IL
Distance to it2.9 miles
GNIS feature ID1821208
Coordinates39.29532, -88.93757

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What's there now

Williamsburg is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Lakewood, IL (population 18), about 2.9 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 675 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Williamsburg?

Williamsburg is in Shelby County, Illinois, at 39.2953, -88.9376.

How many ghost towns are in Shelby County?

Shelby County, Illinois has 2 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.