History Walk Site 3: Cemetery

Located on the west side of Main Street, the half-acre park-like Main Street Cemetery provides a respite from the hustle and bustle of downtown. The headstones face west towards the original entrance off of the original Main Street. Most cemeteries that were platted in the centers of their communities have been relocated through time to accommodate the growth of the business district. For that reason, Downers Grove’s Main Street Cemetery is a rarity – it is rumored to be one of only two in the country still in their original downtown locations. 

In 1856, Samuel Curtiss donated part of his sheep pasture for use as a cemetery. He was later paid $15 for the land by individuals who, in 1864, formed a cemetery association. Nearly 100 members of Downers Grove’s early families, including freed slave Israel Blackburn (1818-1902) and ten Civil War soldiers, are buried here. The cemetery was used until 1939 when Emma Foster Miller was the last to be interred.