Where Is Pierce Downer Buried?
Pierce Downer, the founder of Downers Grove, is not buried in the Main Street Cemetery. He and his wife Lucy Ann (Wilson) are buried in the family plot located on the original Downer homestead. The Downers did own a plot in the Main Street Cemetery. However, when they died, one day apart in March of 1863, St. Joseph Creek, which runs through downtown Downers Grove, was flooded thus preventing their burial here. The site where Pierce Downer camped the first night he spent on his claim in 1832 was selected for his final resting place. In 1974 Earl Downer, the great-grandson and last Downer family member to be buried in the family plot, gave the land to the Downers Grove Park District, which maintains the site. A sign can be seen from the street in front of 4524 Linscott, marking the entrance to the site. Access by the public is permitted. Downers Grove Historical Society 2013