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1915 Map of Gillespie

Name: 1915 Topographic Map of Gillespie
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1915
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1915

About this map

Gillespie serves as the industrial and transit anchor of this 1915 survey, where the Illinois Traction System and several steam railroads converge. The landscape is defined by the early 20th-century coal economy, with sites like the Coal Washer near Benld and scattered operations such as Mine No 15 and Mine No 7 indicating the region's productive depth. The rural sections between Bunker Hill and Staunton are densely settled with family-oriented landmarks, particularly an extensive network of one-room schools like Oak Hill School, Spanish Needle School, and Honey Point School.

Transitioning from the open prairies of Honey Point to the dissected terrain along Macoupin Creek and Cahokia Creek, the map illustrates a well-developed agricultural and mining society. Smaller, less permanent settlements like Boylestown and Millville appear alongside established religious sites such as Corrington Chapel, providing a detailed look at the social geography of Macoupin County before modern consolidation changed the rural school and township structure.