 is located at show location on an interactive map 39°7′34″N, 89°48′59″W (39.126023, -89.816403). The naming of Gillespie Township and The Village of Gillespie, which became a city on May 2, 1907; has been attributed to be being named by the managers of the "Big Four Railroad" previously the "Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad".
Supposedly it was named for Judge Joseph Gillespie, who was an attorney and state representative from Edwardsville, Madison County, Illinois. Being a promoter of the railroad going through the town, was the primary reasoning listed.
The first railroad in Illinois was between 1837-1839 in another part of the state. At this time. the Village of Gillespie was being populated and being settled, even though this settlement was not organized until 1853. Was it originally called a "different name"?
The first Post Office was "Prairie Farm" and operated from 1852 until 1854, when "Gillespie" became the post office, which it remains named today.
Townships were named circa 1870, therefore making it a probability that Gillespie Township was named for the Village of Gillespie
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.8 km²), all of it land. Gillespie does however have a very large lake, Lake Gillespie, just on the outskirts of town. Many people from surrounding towns enjoy fishing, boating, water-skiing and sunbathing at Gillespie Lake. |
