After the Civil War, an influx of Catholic Polish immigrants came to Downers Grove. They lived on the east side of Downers Grove near the location of the modern-day St. Mary of Gostyn Catholic Catholic Church. This area was original referred to as East Grove, but later become known as Gostyn by the predominantly Polish residents, named for a town in Poland.
In 1891, a new church was built by the parishioners on the northside of Kostrzewski Street (now Wilson Street). It was a small clapboard building with 13 pews. It is pictured above.
During the Great Depression, the Gostyn community was often referred to as “Dinoville” by those that lived there. The young boys called themselves “Dinos.” One legend says the young boys of the Alexander, Karesh, and Frankowicz families came up with the name to define their “turf.” This was typical of the times as a group of boys around 63rd and Main Streets called themselves “Anderson,” as that area was referred to as “Andersonville.”
Today, the name “Gostyn” has largely been relegated to the past and the area is no longer populated only by Polish immigrants, but this neighborhood played a key role in the history of the village and remains an important part of the Village of Downers Grove today.
Sources
- Durham, Josette, editor. Growing Up in Gostyn. St. Mary of Gostyn Parish, 1997
- St. Mary of Gostyn (1891-1991). St. Mary of Gostyn Parish, 1991
- “Gostyn, Illinois”, Henry. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gostyn,_Illinois
- Dunham, Montrew, and Pauline Wandschneider. Downers Grove, 1832-1982. pp. 74-75, Downers Grove, Ill: Heritage Festival Task Force, 1982.
