About Us :

Downers Grove’s first settler was Pierce Downer, a 50-year-old-man from New York State who came to Illinois seeking farmland in May 1832. He camped in an oak grove on the prairie and staked his claim. In 1833, Stephen Downer, Pierce Downer’s son, made a claim on the south side of the grove. That same year, Joel Wells and a Mr. Cooley made a claim on the far southeast side. The Stanley family arrived in 1835 and found only three log cabins in Downer’s (as it was then written) Grove.

As the news filtered back to the east of the fertile farmland available in Downer’s Grove, other families arrived. Most of the early settlers came from New England and upper New York State. Many of those early families’ names are still represented in Downers Grove, including Blodgett, Curtiss, Carpenter, Dodge, Bush, Peet, Aldrich and others.

The pioneer families coexisted in friendly relations with the Potawatomi Indians. Education was of primary importance to these settlers and schools were founded in 1835.

Many of these early settlers were abolitionists, strong in their anti-slavery beliefs. As a result, a number of their homes were safe havens for runaway slaves as stations on the Underground Railroad, the final stop before reaching Chicago.

During the Civil War, the inhabitants of this very small village arose to the challenge by sending 119 men to fight with the Union forces. At age 54, Captain Walter Blanchard raised a company and led them into battle. He was killed at Ringgold Gap. Although unlikely that his body was shipped home, a gravestone is his memorial at the Main Street Cemetery.

The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was extended from Aurora to Chicago through Downers Grove during the Civil War. This was the single most important influence on connecting Downers Grove with the City of Chicago. The settlement grew and in March 1873, Downers Grove was incorporated as a village.

Through the years, Downers Grove has prospered and grown from a small farming community to a Chicago suburb with over 50,000 residents, outstanding schools and a responsive village government. Perhaps most importantly, it continues to benefit from a friendly, committed, community spirit that values its past while looking forward to the challenges and opportunities of a new millennium.