
Gillespie is a city in
Macoupin County,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, and part of the
Metro East
The Metro East is an urban area in Southern Illinois, United States that contains the eastern and northern urban, suburban, and exurban areas on the Mississippi River in Greater St. Louis. It encompasses eight Illinois counties and constitutes ...
region of the
St. Louis metropolitan area. The population was 3,168 at the 2020 census.
History
The first group of settlers arrived to the area of Gillespie in the late 1820s from Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. The township thrived in the 1830s, increasing in population and businesses. In 1835 the first schoolhouse was built. Gillespie was incorporated as a town in the spring of 1853. By 1904, the population rose to 3,100 and there were a number of businesses, churches, and schools. On January 29, 1905, a fire swept through the business district and destroyed most businesses and some homes.
For years, Gillespie's main source of employment were the multiple coal mines scattered throughout the township operated by the
Chicago & Northwestern Railway. It is said that Gillespie boasted three of the largest coal mines in the world.
Gillespie is named for Judge
Joseph Gillespie, who was active in Illinois state politics.
Geography
File:Gillespie City Hall Pavilion.jpg, Gillespie's city hall pavilion
Gillespie is located mainly in eastern Gillespie Township but extends east into the west part of Cahokia Township. It is bordered to the north by the village of
East Gillespie.
Illinois Routes
4 and
16 pass through Gillespie, joining in the center of town as East Elm Street. Route 4 leads north to
Carlinville, the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
, and south to
Staunton.
St. Louis is to the southwest. Route 16 leads northeast to
Litchfield and west to
Jerseyville.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, Gillespie has a total area of , all land.
The city is drained to the southeast by Bear Creek, a tributary of Cahokia Creek, which runs to the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
northeast of St. Louis. To the northwest are Old and New Gillespie Lakes, reservoirs on the Dry Fork of
Macoupin Creek, a west-flowing tributary of the
Illinois River
The Illinois River () is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines ...
. The two lakes are northwest of the city, and many people from surrounding towns enjoy fishing, boating, water-skiing and sunbathing there.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 3,412 people, 1,452 households, and 936 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,547 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.56%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.32%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.21%
Native American, 0.12%
Asian, 0.06%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.15% from
other races, and 0.59% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino people of any race were 0.73% of the population.
There were 1,452 households, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,168, and the median income for a family was $40,500. Males had a median income of $35,032 versus $23,136 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $19,042. About 8.6% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Gillespie is home to Gillespie C.U.S.D. #7, which operates Gillespie High School, Gillespie Middle School, and Ben-Gil Elementary School.
Services
The city of Gillespie provides police protection for the neighboring communities of
Benld,
Mount Clare, and
Eagarville. In addition Gillespie supplies water to Benld,
Sawyerville,
Wilsonville, Mount Clare,
Dorchester,
East Gillespie, and Eagarville, as well as sewer services to East Gillespie and Eagarville.
Notable people
*
Ferras Alqais, singer-songwriter
*
W. Russell Arrington, Illinois state legislator and lawyer; born in Gillespie
*
Vince Demuzio, Illinois state legislator; born in Gillespie
*
Clarence J. Goodnight, zoologist; born in Gillespie
*
Howard Keel
Harold Clifford Keel (April 13, 1919November 7, 2004), professionally Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer known for his rich bass-baritone singing voice. He starred in a number of MGM musicals in the 1950s, including ''Show Boat'' (195 ...
, film and television actor and singer
*
William D. Lyons, coal miner and Illinois state legislator; lived in Gillespie
*
Harry Patton, pitcher for the
St. Louis Cardinals; born in Gillespie
*
Raphael Tracey, U.S. soccer player and member of the
National Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a public-private partnership among FC Dallas, the City of Frisco, Frisco Independent School District, and the U.S. Soccer Federation, and currently located in Toyota Stadium (Texas), Toyota Stadium in Frisco, T ...
; born in Gillespie
*
Stuart J. Traynor, lawyer and Illinois state legislator; born in Gillespie
['Illinois Blue Book 1965-1966,' Biographical Sketch of Stuart J. Traynor, pg. 180-181]
References
{{authority control
Cities in Illinois
Cities in Macoupin County, Illinois