093_HR0410
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1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of
3 the State of Illinois wish to recognize milestone dates in
4 the history of towns in the State of Illinois; and
5 WHEREAS, Gillespie, Illinois is celebrating its 150th
6 anniversary this year; and
7 WHEREAS, Gillespie is located in the southeastern section
8 of Macoupin County and lies midway between St. Louis and
9 Springfield; it was surveyed in the spring of 1853 by a
10 gentleman named J.B. Meads from Edwardsville; and
11 WHEREAS, Townships in and around Gillespie include
12 Cahokia, Brushy, Mound, Dorchester, Hilyard, and Gillespie;
13 it is from Gillespie Township that the struggling little
14 village in Macoupin County received its name in the year
15 1853; and
16 WHEREAS, The township had been called Gillespie by the
17 managers of the Indianapolis and St. Louis railroad (later
18 the Big Four Railroad) in honor of Judge Joseph Gillespie,
19 who was responsible for the railroads passing through this
20 town; the towns-people thought him worthy of having the
21 community named for him, so it seemed only reasonable that he
22 receive the honor of having the town called Gillespie; and
23 WHEREAS, Jackson Sisson of Virginia moved to a farm in
24 Gillespie in 1837; although he was not the first settler, it
25 was near his farm that the town of Gillespie was later built;
26 and
27 WHEREAS, First settlers of the town and township
28 immediately surrounding Gillespie hailed from Ohio, Virginia,
29 Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Hampshire,
30 and the Carolinas; the first pioneers included Abraham
31 Huddleston in 1828, with Alexander Miller, Dennis Dages, and
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1 Mrs. McCafle, Aaron and Gabriel Maxwell, James Robinson, and
2 their families, later following suit; and
3 WHEREAS, The first building built in Gillespie was
4 erected by B.F. Clark; the lower floor was used as a
5 store-room and the upper half as a dwelling; Mr. Giles Adams
6 became Gillespie's first postmaster, and he kept the mail in
7 his private home until 1854, when the post office was moved
8 into Clark's store; the postmaster thereafter was Thomas
9 Chandler; and
10 WHEREAS, In 1835, classes where held in Gillespie's first
11 school, a log cabin, by Alexander Walls and Mr. More; and
12 WHEREAS, The town was now growing with a railroad running
13 through, and a post office; in 1856 the National hotel was
14 built; it consisted of a frame building owned by S.D. Martin;
15 a mill was erected in 1859 by Settlemire, Rankin and Holmes;
16 Dr. Isaac Osborn had set up a practice in 1855 and schools,
17 blacksmith shops, taverns, etc. were now going up and
18 Gillespie was well on its way to becoming a city; and
19 WHEREAS, On May 2, 1907, Gillespie officially became a
20 city with Richard H. Isaacs as the first mayor; and
21 WHEREAS, This was the town that had taken the name of a
22 man who did not settle it, or ever live in it, Judge Joseph
23 Gillespie; nonetheless, Gillespie has grown and flourished
24 during the past 150 years into a town that thrives on its
25 rich history and promising future; therefore be it
26 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
27 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
28 we congratulate the city of Gillespie on the celebration of
29 its 150th anniversary; and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
31 presented to Daniel Fischer, Mayor of the city of Gillespie.