Eskelhem

Eskelhem is the name of the socken as well as the district. It is also the name of the small village surrounding the medieval Eskelhem Church, sometimes referred to as Eskelhem kyrkby. It is in the west part of central Gotland, south of Visby. The area consists of a farmed plain surrounded by forests. The area of the socken is of which is land. == History ==

The earliest archaeological finds in Eskelhem are remains of Stone Age settlements. There are also several Bronze Age grave mounds and cairns. The most significant find, a Bronze Age horse harness, was made in a mound by the rectory. Sixteen grave fields and three hillforts from the Iron Age are within the boundaries of the socken. Stones with grind grooves have also been found. A total of about 600 archaeological sites have been found at Eskelhem. In 1897, a railway was built from Klintehamn to Romakloster for transporting sugar beets to the sugar refinery in Roma. One of the stations along that line was Tjuls in Eskelhem, where a station house was built. The station was in use until 1953, when the passenger service on the line ceased. During that time, five station masters, three of which were women, served at Tjuls. The railway continued in operation for goods traffic until 1960. Today, the station house is a small railway museum. == References ==