Honoring Helen Kenyon (1846-1937)
March is Women’s History Month, and one Downers Grove street pays tribute to a remarkable local woman. Helen Kenyon, known as “Aunt Helen,” lived at 5427 Main Street for 66 years. She was remembered as cheerful, generous, and kind.
Born on a farm in York Center, DuPage County, Helen was one of ten children. Two of her brothers served in the Civil War. In 1871, her father moved the family to Downers Grove for better education opportunities. Helen never married and remained in the home after her parents passed. The home her father purchased was a former Baptist parsonage built in 1856 and still stands at 5427 Main Street.
A lifelong learner, she attended school in Evanston, rooming with Frances Willard, and stayed informed by reading multiple newspapers daily. Her mother, at 89, won recognition for lace-making at the 1893 Columbian Exposition. Longevity ran in the family, with several relatives living past 100.
Shortly before her passing at 90, Helen shared her philosophy: “Cheerfulness—giving something to each person she meets, a flower, a story, a kind word.” She died on February 28, 1937, and rests in Oak Hill Cemetery.
Kenyon Street, extending 3 blocks in length, running east and west between Main Street and Lyman Avenue, is located 1 block south of 55th Street, and honors her family’s legacy.
To learn about other interesting women of Downers Grove, click here.
