Gillespie Township,
Macoupin County IL
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Gillespie Township |
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| Towns in Gillespie
Township |
History |
Cemeteries | Schools |
| Population in
1870 |
1875 Atlas |
1875
Atlas Names |
Google
Map |
The towns in Gillespie Township are:
The towns in Gillespie Township are:
Bayless was established before 1875. It is located in Section 33 of Gillespie Township. The plat of Bayless is marked on a current plat map. There was no post office named in the book, Illinois Place Names. It states that Bayless "is now part of Dorchester." Bayless was formerly Baylestown and before that it was known as Boylestown.
From the Illinois Place Names book,
East Gillespie was incorporated as a village 23 Mar
1938. It is located in both Gillespie and Cahokia
Townships. In 1970, the population was 187, in 1980,
197 and, in 1990, 205. Postal service is served by
Gillespie as RFD.
Gillespie
Information (Prairie Farm) Lat
390747N Long 0894910W
From Illinois Place Names
book, Prairie Farm post office was established 31
Mar 1852 and was changed to Gillespie. Gillespie
post office was established 13 Feb 1854. Gillespie
was incorporated as a city 30 Mar 1869. The RFD mail
served the areas of Cavender, Duncan, Henderson and
Prairie Farm.
Growing Up In
Coal Town: Main Street - article by Victor Hicken
about Gillespie Macoupin County IL during the 1920s and
1930s.
Larry Clark Remembers
Gillespie
Gillespie
School
-
1920 Something donated for use by David Richard
Gillespie
Jubilee Gypsies Band
Land in
Gillespie Township Donated to Blackburn College by
John Woodson
Gillespie
Public Library
Annual Black Diamond Days Festival
Charles J Hutton
Grocery Store
Main Street in
the 1930's
John
Slaughter 99 yrs old June 22, 1838 - Jul 20, 1937 -
Gillespie's Last Civil War Veteran
Murder
of Marguerite Slaughter
Slaughter
Family pictures
Prentiss Ruyle
and James Daugherty Saw Mill -1945- located west of
the Gillespie Club
Howard Keel
Howard Keel
Victor Hicken, raised in
Gillespie and author of Illinois in the Civil War,
said, "Howard Keel of movie fame - Showboat, Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers, Annie Get Your Gun, and
later television - Dallas, was from Gillespie. Victor
said he knew Howard as Harold Kiel in Gillespie. After
the "big fight" in 1945, he went to London and became
a big hit in the stage musical "Oklahoma." They still
love him there, though he never got the part in "OK"
in Hollywood. Still alive and was last seen in
"Dallas".
Note from Becky Hargett, 3rd cousin of Howard Keel -
In an issue of a TV supplement, it states incorrectly
that, "Howard Keel who plays Clayton Farlow on
"Dallas" was born in Gillespie. His real name was
Clifford Leek, born 13 April, 1917."
Howard Keel's real name is Harry Clifford Keel b.
April 13, 1919; parents Charles Homer Keel & Grace
Osterkamp. I don't have all the details at my finger
tips. Another cousin is doing the Keel family and has
been in touch with Howard's wife.
One of the stories our family has about Howard is
whenever he played the Muni Opera in St. Louis in the
'60's & '70's, he would send a limo to pick up his
former third grade teacher in Gillespie; transport her
to a front row seat and return her to Gillespie. I
don't have the name of the teacher, but can probably
find out.
The Annual Black
Diamond Days, Gillespie's original festival of coal.
Black Diamond Days is a celebration of coal miners and
coal mining which has always been a major business in
Macoupin County. The festival is held annually for
three days each year on the first weekend in June in
Gillespie.
Gillespie welcomes visitors in a big way with parades,
contests, prizes, a carnival, Mine Rescue
Demonstration, Fun Run and Five K Run, Arts and
Crafts, Concessions and much more.
Gillespie is located nine miles west of Interstate 55
at Exit 52.
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