News

The 2026 Living Cemetery event was a huge success! Several hundred visitors strolled through the cemetery on October 24th to meet actors portraying Downers Grove’s early settlers. The actors were well prepared for an appreciative audience, sharing well-researched accounts of life in early Downers Grove. The Downers Grove Historical Society is proud to partner with The Paper Moon Players, a local youth acting troupe directed by Marilyn Ludwig and Gwen Box. This year’s cast included

Thank you to Steve Shukis for his recent lecture, “Poisoned! … Murder in Downers Grove.” The lecture was followed by a book signing of “Poisoned!” with his family  helping out with book sales. And thank you for all those Downers Grove history enthusiasts that came out for this lecture. We plan to offer more presentations like this in the future. Stay tuned for more. Steve told a gripping tale of murder, sorcery, and criminal justice

The Historical Society has benefited greatly from our membership card sponsors over these last few years, and for that we are grateful. We truly do care about them, and when they face tragedy, we can’t help but face it with them. In that spirit, we are saddened to hear of the passing of the owner of HOF Cleaners, Chris Karras. For years he was an avid supporter of our membership card sponsor program, and he

As we enter the last few months of the year, it’s also time to renew our memberships. This year has been a tremendous year for our membership perks including early notification of events, discounts at local businesses, and much more. Next year we are sure to offer even more in the way of opportunities for our members so renew today! And if you have suggestions for new perks, do not hesitate to email us at

Thatcher Road on the west side of town is named after the Thatcher family. Samuel and Eldred Thatcher came to Downers Grove in the late 1830’s. Eldred spent his life working in village politics and also taking an ownership stake in Carpenter’s general store. Samuel on the other hand became one of the first music directors of First United Methodist Church which still stands on Maple Avenue, which also happens to be the Historic Site