Gillespie Township, Macoupin County IL
Gillespie Township,
Macoupin County, Illinois
T8N R7W
The population for all Gillespie Township in 1870 was 1,085.
Early Family Names In Gillespie
Township Taken From the 1875 Atlas
(Use Find under pull down menu Edit to find a surname)
Cemeteries in Gillespie Township
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)
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
19th Annual Black Diamond Days Festival
Charles J Hutton Grocery Store
Main Street in the 1930's
Gillespie
Today at Wayne Hinton's site
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
Gillespie High School
Online
Gillespie Lake
Gillespie
Yellow Pages and City Map
Golf
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 19th 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.
Gillespie Lake in the south
central area of the county is really two connected lakes full of fish waiting
to bite your hook. Boating, waterskiing, swimming, camping and picnicking
will make your a visit a pleasurable experience.
For more information call 618-362-6363
