Someone recently asked us about the old hotel in Warwick, and we promised to share some information about the Gillespie House.
In the 19th century, Warwick was a lively place with several merchants taking care of the trade from nearby Cecil County farms. One of those businesses was Samuel Gillespie’s Hotel. In 1868, the Middletown Transcript noted that it was a “fine, large building, capable of accommodating a larger number of persons.” His table was spread with luxuries of the season and the bar was well supplied with choice wines and liquors. In connection with the hotel, there was a half-mile racetrack.
The native of Lancaster County, PA died on Aug 6, 1889, according to his obituary in the Cecil Whig. After clerking in a store in Conowingo, he came to Warwick in 1857 and opened the hotel, which he kept until 1886. The Whig also noted in 1861, that Gillespie had just finished and was occupying his new hotel in Warwick. According to the 1858 atlas, this replaced an older hotel.
For additional photos of Samuel Gillespie’s Warwick Hotel, see this photo album on Facebook.
