Inch by inch, one of the oldest and most historic homes in Downers Grove was lowered Aug. 27 onto its new foundation at 831 Maple Ave.

Downers Grove residents and members of the Blodgett Legacy Partnership Inc. and the Downers Grove Heritage Preservation Corp. groups gathered around the chain link fence encasing the house to watch it take its next step in history. After a few hours the house was completely lowered about four feet.

Charley Smart, preservation group member, said it was nice to see that the house and the foundation finally looked like one cohesive unit. He said with the next phase of work, the home repairs will begin.

“The next thing is what you would normally think of as external renovations,” Smart said.
Those early updates will include installing period windows and replacing the roof and the home’s siding.

Lyle Hyatt & Co. is the house-moving business that has overseen the entire process since the move began in May. The home was moved several hundred feet across a grassy lot to property owned by the Downers Grove Park District Museum from 812 Randall St.

The home was moved from that location after the property was purchased by developer Chris Salman last year to build a home.

Downers Grove resident Kimberly Thompson, preservation group member, and her two daughters Manon, 11, and Cosette, 7, came out to watch the slow lowering process and reflected upon a camp the girls recently attended through the Downers Grove Park District Museum campus. The camp included some activities around the Blodgett House including Civil War reenactments.

Manon and Cosette said it was exciting to attend camp right outside the Blodgett House and learn about what Downers Grove was like when the Blodgett family was living there including churning butter and cleaning clothes on a washboard.

“They have to understand where we were to understand where they’re going,” Thompson said.

The Blodgett House was once the home of Israel and Avis Blodgett who were some of the earliest settlers in the area. Around 1847, the house was used as a stopover as part of the Underground Railroad system slaves traveled in order to become free.