Cemetery History

The township cemetery was known as Wayne Cemetery (1840), Wayne Center Cemetery (1894), and finally Wayne Township Cemetery (1973). During the early 1800s, it is believed the government owned the land where the cemetery now sits. On 2/6/1843, the government issued a patent for the land in and around the cemetery to Marcus Wheeler, who in turn deeded it to Daniel Pratt. Daniel Pratt then deeded the cemetery to his son, William O. Pratt on 11/22/1853. On 6/2/1894, nine old settlers met for the purpose of rescuing the Wayne Cemetery from decay and desolation. They applied for a charter for the Wayne Center Cemetery Association, which was issued by the Secretary of State on 6/8/1894.On 6/14/1894, William O. Pratt deeded all unsold portions of the cemetery to the new Association. The first step of the rescue included building a fence around the cemetery property; trees were trimmed and tombstones were straightened.

On 6/19/1919, the Elgin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution unveiled a boulder monument, which sits in the SE portion of the cemetery. This monument is a memorial to the soldiers in the Blackhawk War of 1832 who were buried in their army blankets on the bank of the DuPage River, a tad east of the cemetery.

A flagpole was installed/dedicated to the Wayne Center Cemetery on 7/9/1955. Fallen fighters of the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, WWI and WWII, Vietnam and Korea are buried there and honored on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Wayne Township beautified the Wayne Township Cemetery in 2019. A new fence was installed around three sides of the property, leaving the wrought iron fence at the entrance. Dead trees were trimmed and/or removed. The path inside the cemetery was paved in 2021 and the parking lot was paved in 2024.

Stop in to renew your vehicle registration/license plate stickers. Bring your current registration, driver's license and exact cash or check (payable to Wayne Township). There is a $5 processing fee.