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 of 2025.
