Milton Township Cemetery Authority safeguards three Civil War-era cemeteries, honoring our local veterans and promoting interest in history. Each of the cemeteries under the Milton Township Cemeteries Authorities hold fascinating stories and historical facts. They not only inform us about our local past and cultural trends but offer beautiful spaces for quiet reflection.

History:
The Milton Township Cemeteries Authority was established in the 1840s. Over the past 20 years, the three cemeteries have been under the care of the Milton Township Cemetery Authority Commission and supported by The Friends of Pioneer Cemeteries. Those three cemeteries are Jewell Grove in Wheaton, Pleasant Hill in Winfield, and St. Stephen's in Carol Stream.

Visit:
Please consider exploring these cemeteries and joining us at our cemetery events held near Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Labor Day. The event dates and details will be posted on our website and social media. The public is also invited to visit all three locations during daylight hours. Jewell Grove and Pleasant Hill are open to the public daily. Those wishing to access St. Stephen’s can check out a gate key Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 


The Township Oversees Care of 3 Cemeteries:

Jewell Grove (Inactive)

Location: 1410 Champion Forest Drive, Wheaton, IL 60187

This cemetery became active circa 1842. This is the site of the first burial of a white woman in Milton Township, Emily Jewell, on land owned by her brother, Ira Jewell, which he later donated as a local cemetery. The 1-acre cemetery contains the markers for members of the Jewell, Cooley, Cripps, Erwin, and Reese families.

In addition, oral tradition from the family of Proctor Price says he “paid for the bodies of 20 men who died in the Civil War to be brought home and buried in the Jewell Grove Cemetery. He did this because the soldiers' families were too poor to bring home bodies. And lastly, when farm helpers died, or families of farm workers,  close friends who came to visit and caught the cholera, or any number of other things that happened, if they died, the Cooley family, or the Reese family, or the Jewell family usually gave them space in the Public burial areas for their kin to be buried.” (statement of Arthur W. Cooley, a direct descendant of Proctor Price Cooley)

Originally, access was gained by Jewell Road to Jewell Grove cemetery, highlighting the location of the first grave of Emily Jewell.  Today, access is gained via a walking path off Champion Drive. The wooded grove is open during daylight hours for visitors to learn of early settlers buried here, observe local wildlife and wildflowers, and reflect.

Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Active)

Location: Southeast corner of Geneva Road and Coventry Drive in Wheaton (a few blocks west of Gary Ave). 

This is the final resting place of veterans of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, and both World Wars. Pleasant Hill Cemetery was established in 1843. A large sign identifies the site as “Milton Township Cemetery” and pays tribute to Gideon Warner, a Massachusetts native who served in the Revolutionary War. Pleasant Hill was a resting location for many early settler families, some of whom chose to exhume relatives and transfer them to the then newly opened Wheaton Cemetery.

A large stone grotto believed to have been built in the early 1930’s by the WPA (Works Progress Administration) also graces the cemetery. In 2025 the Milton Township Cemetery Authority Commission determined that access to the cemetery was impeded by a chain link fence and had the north and west perimeters removed, opening the cemetery up for family members and the public to visit more easily. 

Pleasant Hill still serves as an active cemetery. Those who might qualify for burial include: those with no resources for a burial, veterans, and spouses of someone already buried there. Inquiries for burial should be directed to the  Township Supervisor’s General Assistance office: 630 668-1616.

St. Stephen's Cemetery (Inactive)

Location: Along the Great Western Trail Prairie Path heading west from S. Main Place at St. Charles Road in Wheaton, north of Deluxe Towing. Visible from Google Earth.

The Archives & Records Center of the Archdiocese of Chicago dates the establishment of St. Stephen’s Catholic Mission to about 1852.  It was located near the community of Gretna, also called Milton, two miles north of holdings that later became known as Wheaton. The first settlers in the area, the records note, were Irish, who gradually sold their properties to German immigrants around 1850 and moved south to Lemont. Many German families came from southern Germany, removing themselves from the threat of war, compulsory military service, or, in the case of Bavarians, from the high taxes extracted from the citizenry by Ludwig II for his castle-building projects.  

The cemetery of St. Stephen’s Catholic Mission, or Gretna Green, became the last resting place for many DuPage County pioneers. St. Stephen’s lost its right of way when the Chicago-Great Western Railway built its roadbed across the access road of the church and it closed its doors in 1889 and was dismantled to provide lumber for a new school building at St. Michael’s in Wheaton.