GILLESPIE

We have created a fascinating walking tour through Gillespie’s history by means of the historical markers and street signage placed at key locations.

October  27, 2023: The Superior Coal Company plaque just arrived! We will install it outside the museum

In addition to the official historical marker shown above that features Gillespie’s important role in the founding of the breakaway Progressive Miners of America union and that was funded by the Mythic Mississippi Project, the MMP collaborated with the Illinois Coal Museum at Gillespie to undertake what heritage scholars call a “bottom-up” or vernacular signposting project by which the local vision of important moments in Gillespie history are now materialized with quality street signage. More than a dozen panels, of varying size, have been placed on building exteriors.

the Co-op building today

This Tudor-style building (above) at the corner of Macoupin and Chestnut was built by the St. Louis Lemp Brewery. Although Tudor is an English style, there is a similar German architecture that the brewery used. The brewery was successful because there was a very rapid turnover of product inventory with a large markup, and staffing requirements were small. Later the building served as a bank. On one side you can see State Bank label and on the other American National Bank. 

                        This 1909 photo of Macoupin Street is very interesting because there are many liquor shops. This likely because there were so many miners living in town. 

                            Here is another 1909 photo, this one featuring a barber shop.

The City Hall plaque is on the original concrete foundation of the building, just to the right of the entrance door. The city has guaranteed preservation of this wall regardless of what is built behind it.

close-up of the plaque

The Canna Theater (1952) is hopefully being saved by a young couple with a business plan. The building is on E. Chestnut, across the street from the Illinois Coal Museum. Originally, in 1921, it was the Pert Theater, then the New Pert (1928) and then the Lyric (1930). photo 2019

OTHER SIGNAGE IN GILLESPIE, INDEPENDENT OF THE MYTHIC MISSISSIPPI PROJECT

BELOW: Plaque alongside the doughboy (above) that explains the history of the mural.

street mural on S. Macoupin Street, recently installed by Great Rivers & Routes in their second round of downstate tourism promotion – it is supposed to be a postcard

Great Rivers & Routes also installed this large Route 66 cut-out sculpture. 

Great Rivers & Routes recently put this Route 66 commemorative plaque on an exterior wall of the Illinois Coal Museum. There will be a lot of national and international attention to Route 66 in 2006, which is the centenary.

This metal miner profile is located at the Macoupin and Pine intersection.

MT. OLIVE

HILLSBORO 

PANAMA
       This marker honoring John L. Lewis, longtime President of the United Mine Workers of America, was not sponsored by the Mythic Mississippi Project but it is relevant to the coal union story told in the Coal Triangle.

NAUVOO

HAVANA

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Havana’s new museum will open in Summer 2025 at 110 N. Plum Street.

We note other historical markers not erected by the Mythic Mississippi Project that are significant to our work, such as this one posted by Larry Joe Jenkel on FB:in on FB: