Community News
Gillespie Hires 2 Full Time Police Officers
Dave Link expressed his concerns about the demolition of the buildings.
After 90 minutes in executive session, the council returned for open action. With a motion made by the police commissioner, the council voted to hire two officers. Under a recommendation from Gus Ottersburg, the council hired Josh Cravins and Eric Howard as two new full time police officers for the City of Gillespie. The starting date for both men are as soon as possible, but Mayor Hicks advised they attend a City Council meeting to introduce themselves to the Council.
After all of the reports were accepted, council members heard from an array of visitors:
- Mr. Gerald Cross was in attendance to check on his bid he submitted for the lot on corner of Spruce and Shelby. He came to answer any questions anyone might have.
- Ed & Julie Zzar were in attendance to receive ownership of lot 6 on Western Lane in the Gillespie Lake area. With a 8-0 vote, the motion was carried and the ownership of the lot was transferred to the Czars.
- Dave Link came to talk about the progress of demolition of the building on Macoupin Street. The council is going to try and salvage the front of the buildings, but it is looking like it will be done after it has been a complicated process. Dave wanted to keep the front of the buildings because it is tied into the north building.
- Bob Fritz expressed concerns about the money raised from derelict buildings when the grass was mowed or other deeds. Bob recalls the account had 2-3k dollars in the account when he was alderman and he asked if the council could donate half or even all of the money to the cemetery as they are struggling.
In other executive session, the city decided the bid of $1,800 from Gerald Cross on the two lots on Shelby and Spruce was too low for the City to consider. The City has to have at least a 80% bid. The Council advised Cross to rebid once the bidding process has restarted.
The council then presented Chief of Police Jarod DePoppe with a plaque after the Trinity Baptist Church presented the City of Gillespie as well as Gillespie Police Department in honor of protecting the citizens of Gillespie. On behalf of the City, the council presented the plaque to the Chief of Police for the department.
In other business, the council received a letter back from their insurance company stating it was a bad idea to go forth with the walking trail the Macoupin County Health Department had presented to the city in last month’s meeting. The insurance company stated since the path did not have designated markings it was a bad idea. Mayor Hicks said the Health Department can proceed with marking the bike trail since it is a walking trail.
Gus Ottersburg presents DePoppe with a plaque.
In new business, the council received information from the Gillespie High School yearbook to advertise in the upcoming edition. The Council voted 8-0 to advertise for the same amount they have paid in the past.
Roger Divley expressed citizen concerns about a city clean up day. With lack of funds available to fund the $10,000 clean-up, the City will not be able to provide the service to the citizens this year.
Frank Barrett wants to name a lane coming off of Spanish Needle Lane, but Barret is going to gather more information after further discussion. Barrett wants to develop some of the lake property as only 3 cabins have electricity. Barrett would like to see electricity ran to other cabins as well, but the cabin owners have agreed to fund the project. The project would not cost the city any money at all, but it would provide electricity to the weekend-stay cabins.
Barrett has also contacted the insurance of the IP Building. Barrett asked the company if they would release the $15,000 if the city decided to build a new building. The insurance company said yes, the money would be released and under Barrett’s recommendation: the building should be built at Welfare Park. The meeting is scheduled Wednesday to hear about further opinions. The building would be funded by a loan along with the $15,000 insurance money. The building would house a batting cage and possibly other services that would be provided to students of CUSD #7. “I am just trying to make the community better,” Barrett stated. With instruction from the council, Barrett was advised to check on some other details and bring it up again at another council meeting.
Gus Ottersburg advised the council of a city wide trash pickup that was instated by a surrounding community. Under the 5 or 10 year contract that the city would have to sign, the city would charge the residents a flat fee per month. The community that Ottersburg referred to charged community members $14 per month. $13 of the dollars went to the trash company and the other dollar went to the city for administrative costs. Under the 5 year contract, the city would get: 5 roll off dumpsters, free recycling center, city wide cleanup and the trash service would only increase if the diesel fuel increased. The contract listed is from Area Disposable and would only be offered to residents. School, apartments, and businesses would not be included under the city trash pickup.
Mayor Hicks grins as he hears concern over the city trash pickup idea.
Jerry Doliger informed the city that a new gear box for the brush hog was ordered. The one now is junk, reconditioned it was $850 and then with labor and installation included, it evened out around $1,000. Chairs in the civic center are low. The Civic Center had 500 at one time, but only 375 can be accounted for now. Doliger advised the council that 100 more should be ordered for big events, like weddings and gatherings, so the the city would not have to borrow chairs from Benld or anywhere else.
In closure, John Ronald asked how much money was in the beautification account. None of the council members had any knowledge. Ronald also advised that the city should charge residents a $10 fee to host a yard sale. Residents could not have a yard sale without a “yard sale permit” posted. The council also discussed a plan to build a central yard sale announcement sign. The sign could be built on the cities new main street property and only yard sale signs could be posted. With the construction of this sign, residents could not post announcements on any other light post in town which has been a problem since most signs posted are not removed after the sale is over.
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Dana Carr Skinner, 52, of Gillespie has announced her candidacy for Macoupin County Circuit Clerk. She will be on the November 5, 2024, General Election ballot.
Dana, a lifelong Macoupin County resident was born and raised in Wilsonville by her
parents, Barb and Van Baker. She graduated Gillespie High School in 1990 and attended SIUE
before starting her family. She has raised eight children all of whom graduated college or attended trade school. Dana is married to Todd Skinner.
Dana is currently a public servant, serving the people of Illinois as a paralegal. She has
over 25 years legal experience with 15 of those years being directly in the courtroom. She has
worked in law firms that practiced in all areas of the law from probate, family, civil, traffic,
criminal and real estate. After working several years in the legal field, Dana went back to college and obtained a paralegal degree.
Dana is running for Circuit Clerk because, “It is time for me give back to my community
and the residents of Macoupin County. Lee Byots Ross has done an amazing job as our current Circuit Clerk and I want to continue the work that she has accomplished. My adult life has been focused on my family and my children, and they are now grown. My focus now, would be to demonstrate to the residents of Macoupin County that I can and will do an excellent job as
Circuit Clerk,” Dana said.
The Circuit Clerk is responsible for establishing, maintaining and keeping all records of
the court, as well as several administrative, financial and public services.
“There are employees in the office now that have worked there a number of years, and I will be committed to them and their opinions, as well as the people the Macoupin County. I will learn from the current employees if I am elected in November and I believe that I have the experience, the knowledge and the work ethic that would make me an asset to the Circuit Clerks Office’s team,” Dana said.
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United Mineworkers of America President Cecil Roberts will commemorate the 125th anniversary of Union Miners’ Cemetery in Mt. Olive on October 13. Ceremonies begin at noon with a short historical parade, Roberts, IL AFL-CIO President Tim Drea, and frequent labor music.
Afterward, a meal will be provided as the labor music continues. The event is free and open to the public. A portable chair is recommended.
The cemetery is located on near 5536 Mt. Olive Road in Mt. Olive and can be found by following North Lake Street.
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Background of Union Miners Cemetery by the Mother Jones Museum:
The Union Miners Cemetery is in Mt. Olive, a small mining-town that was once the center of a rebellious group of miners who helped to secure Illinois as the solid rock for the United Mine Workers Union. Today thousands of visitors come each year to pay their respects to the memory to Mother Jones and the spirit that guided her and the founders of the labor movement in the United States. They reflect about the connections between the past and the present.
The cemetery was established in 1899, when commemorations of the miners killed in the 1898 “Virden riot” became controversial in the Mt. Olive cemetery where they were originally buried.
The bodies of the Virden “martyrs” were re-interred in a cemetery established as the Union Miners Cemetery by the Mt. Olive United Mine Workers local. Commemorations of these events in the following years contributed to a generation of activism in the Illinois coal fields.
They did this by claiming the kind of memorial space that was denied in other places, such as Haymarket, where police often disrupted commemorations. This built a sense of connection between past and present in the area, and made it clear that ordinary workers had changed the course of history. The role of the ordinary worker came into focus. Mt. Olive was one of the few places in the country where labor history was taught before the 1970s.
This is a unique place in the history of the labor movement; it was the only union-owned cemetery in the country. This is a place with a monument to Mother Jones, but it also evokes the power and potential of the labor movement. It is a place of reflection and remembering, of thinking of the labor movement’s roots. It is a shrine not only to Jones but to the sacrifices that connected human rights and labor rights, a place where people wonder when and why labor lost power.
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When I decided to write this article, my original intent was to find out when they removed the rails down the middle of Macoupin Street, but I thought I might research when the railroads came and went in Gillespie. So here is a brief history!
In the 1850’s, railroads were becoming more important to the US for both transportation of people and goods. Chicago was the hub of railroad traffic in the west and cities throughout Illinois were vying to have railroads come through their section of the state. Having a railroad meant prosperity and growth. Towns would grow with increased population. The key question was where are the railroads going to go? Influence by key political people throughout the state was important.
Prominent people in the US and central Illinois like Judge Joseph Gillespie, William Mattoon, Electus B Litchfield and Robert Rantoul (Massachusetts senator) and others help bring the railroad south.
The move south was brought about by the chartering of the Terre-Haute & Alton Railroad in January 1851 out of Mattoon, Illinois. It was to extend south to Alton because legislators wanted Alton to compete with St. Louis in the growth of the area. The work was started in 1852 to originally go 172 miles. It was completed in March 1856. Extensions were created from Alton to Belleville and eventually to St. Louis. By 1857 the route was completed and a railroad went through Gillespie. The St. Louis connection was helped by the building of the Eads Bridge in 1874.
In June 1867, the Terre-Haute Alton Railroad was leased to the Indianapolis & St Louis Railroad but went into foreclosure in 1882 and sold to the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (known as the Big Four). This railroad came under control of Vanderbilt and the NY Central Railroad system.
The Terre-Haute Alton Railroad/Big Four Railroad came to Gillespie on an east west route. It passed through Gillespie today in the land next to the Civic Center, crossing Macoupin Street next to Subway. The Big Four Terminal was just off Macoupin Street where the Civic Center is located. There were additional terminals in Hornsby and Dorchester.
A 2nd railroad will add additional prosperity to Gillespie. The Illinois Traction System was a brainchild of William B. McKinley (not the president). He had a vision to create an electric railroad empire that covered at its peak 550 miles of rail.
The Traction system started in connecting Danville and Champaign in 1901-02, then to Decatur to Springfield in 1904. He also completed the route from Springfield to Granite City going through Gillespie and Benld in 1904. This Interurban as most people called it was a passenger service. It would eventually connect to Peoria by 1907 and St Louis by 1910. It was also possible to go to Chicago by connecting with other railroads. The Illinois Traction Terminal was on the corner of Macoupin and Spruce Streets where United Community Bank is located and at one time did have a small spur to the east.
Everyone associates the growth of Gillespie-Benld and the surrounding area to the coal mines, but the railroad also played a key part in the growth of the area.
You might wonder why main street is so wide compared to other towns’ business districts? Gillespie was unique by having the Interurban rail down the center of Macoupin Street but also the Big Four crisscrossed near Walnut Street. The town has to be one of the few towns in Illinois to have that unique situation.
In the early days, the crisscross intersection was controlled by only railroad signs. The “Stop, Look and Listen” slogan did not stop accidents at the crossing. Eventually, a crossing watchman was hired to control the car and pedestrian traffic at the intersection of the two railroad lines. It was also not unusual for a parked car to back into the Interurban in the business district.
These two railroads went north-south and east-west throughout town until the Interurban ceased to operate. The last Interurban use was on March 3, 1956. The rail line was eventually taken over by other railroads and would only be used for freight transportation, especially by Norfolk Western and other railroad lines. The rail line did have a brief arrangement to transport coal from Monterrey Coal Junction to Edwardsville in 1970, but the last use of the old Interurban Line for freight use occurred on August 20, 1970.
The eventual decline of the railroads in Gillespie coincides with the decline of the coal mines. Railroads were being transformed from coal to diesel and coal use immediately declined.
The Big Four stopped operating on December 17, 1964. Slowly they started to remove the tracks between Litchfield and Bethalto. Illinois maps show Big Four railroad tracks in 1965, but they are gone by 1967.
Now to the original premise of the article, when were the railroad tracks removed down the middle of Macoupin Street? My sources throughout town were varying, I got all kinds of guesses. I narrowed it down by my own memory. It was there in 1972 when I started teaching but then all of a sudden it was gone. I searched newspapers in the fall of 1972, then 1973 and I found it in 1974.
In January of 1974, the city decided to do something about the water lines in the business district. There was a conversation in late February to remove the tracks, but when will they do it? At the same time there was discussion about the sewer lines where the tracks are located. So, the city decided to it all at the same time, remove the tracks, and do water and sewer lines. By early April 1974, the tracks are gone and by early May, the downtown was a mess because of the water main project. After the downtown removal of tracks, the city eventually moved further north and south on Macoupin to remove the remaining tracks.
So, what proved to be a simple search gave you, the readers, a history of the railroads in Gillespie. Stop by the library and see the assorted railroad pictures and if you have anything railroad-related or an interesting picture involving the railroad such as an accident involving the railroads. I would like to see them.
