Kewanee () is a city in Henry County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, United States. "Kewanee" is the

Winnebago Winnebago can refer to: * The exonym of the Ho-Chunk tribe of Native North Americans with reservations in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin ** Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, a federally recognized tribe group in the state ** The Winnebago language of the ...

word for

greater prairie chicken The greater prairie chicken or pinnated grouse (''Tympanuchus cupido''), sometimes called a boomer,Friederici, Peter (July 20, 1989)"The Last Prairie Chickens" ''Chicago Reader''. Retrieved August 27, 2014.（Chinese 中文：帕艺明彩大凤� ...

, which lived there. The population was 12,509 at the 2020 census, down from 12,944 in 2000.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Kewanee has a total area of , of which (or 99.82%) is land and (or 0.18%) is water.

Demographics

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 12,944 people in 5,353 households, including 3,377 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 5,879 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 90.27% White, 3.68% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.69% from other races, and 1.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.10%. Of the 5,353 households 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 32.2% of households were one person and 17.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.98. The age distribution was 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males. The median household income was $29,895 and the median family income was $37,730. Males had a median income of $29,065 versus $19,792 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,746. About 10.7% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over. kewaneewatertower

2010 census

According to the 2020 census, the city had a population of 12,509. Of this, 11,241 (87.03%) were white, 633 (4.90%) were black or African American, 624 (4.83%) were some other race, 325 (2.52%) were two or more races, 51 (0.39%) were Asian, 38 (0.29%) were American Indian or Alaska Native. 1,350 (10.45%) were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Industry

Kewanee was once known for its

fire-tube boiler A fire-tube boiler is a type of boiler in which hot gases pass from a fire through one or more tubes running through a sealed container of water. The heat of the gases is transferred through the walls of the tubes by thermal conduction, heating t ...

industry. The Kewanee Boiler Corporation manufactured and sold boilers throughout the world for over one hundred years. The company shuttered in 2002, however, boilers manufactured in Kewanee are still in common use. The Kewanee High School athletic teams are nicknamed the "

Boilermaker A boilermaker is a tradesperson who fabricates steel, iron, or copper into boilers and other large containers intended to hold hot gas or liquid, as well as maintains and repairs boilers and boiler systems.Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Dep ...

s". Kewanee was home to minor league baseball. The

Kewanee Boilermakers The Kewanee Boilermakers were a minor league baseball team based in Kewanee, Illinois. From 1908 to 1913, the Boilermakers played exclusively as members of the Central Association, hosting home games at Terminal Park. The 1948 Kewanee A's succeed ...

minor league baseball team played in the

Central Association The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. It began operations in 1908, as it was essentially renamed from the 1907 Iowa State League. The Central Association ran continuously through 1917. It was reorganized thirty yea ...

from 1908–1913. In 1948–1949, the

Kewanee A's The Kewanee A's were a minor league baseball team based in Kewanee, Illinois in the 1948 and 1949 seasons after the nearby Moline A's relocated to Kewanee. The A's played as exclusively as members of the Central Association, winning the 1949 league ...

rejoined the Central Association. Kewanee was an affiliate of the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

(1948–1949). Kewanee minor league teams played at Terminal Park (1908–1913) and Northeast Park (1948–1949). Kewanee Boiler

Parks

Kewanee has many different types of parks in the immediate area, offering a variety of activities such as boating, camping, hunting, fishing, playgrounds, baseball fields, and more. Parks inside the city limits are run by the Kewanee Park District.

Schools

Kewanee has had two school districts, dating to when the community of Wethersfield was a separate municipality. Though the towns merged long ago, the two school districts both remain in the city of 13,400, divided at Division Street in the middle of Kewanee. While Kewanee School District #229 has around 2,015 students (533 High School), Wethersfield #230 has about 600 students. The two schools enjoy a usually friendly rivalry, since both district high schools are in different divisions for most sports. However, this rivalry did become very heated in the sports the two high schools once competed in, most notably

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

. Black Hawk College-East Campus is recognized nationally for its equestrian program, as well as livestock judging teams. (Another Campus is located in the

Quad Cities The Quad Cities is a region of cities (originally four, see History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are t ...

Festivals

The most notable festival held in the community is Hog Days. It is held annually on Labor Day weekend. Events include a carnival, mud volleyball, a parade, and more.

Local media

FM radio

* 93.9

KQCJ KQCJ (93.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station, licensed to Cambridge, Illinois and serving the Quad Cities radio market. Known as "Planet 93.9" the station airs an alternative rock radio format. It is operated by Fletcher M. Ford, of Regiona ...

"Planet 93.9",

Alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

* 102.1

W271BL WJRE is an FM radio station licensed to Galva, Illinois, with studios in Kewanee, Illinois. WJRE operates on a frequency of 102.5 MHz. WJRE plays traditional country format, with a mix of songs from the 1970s through today. WJRE is operated by F ...

(Jack FM),

Jack FM Jack FM is a radio network brand, licensed by Sparknet Communications, with the exception of the European Union where it is licensed by Oxis Media. It plays an adult hits radio format, format, in most cases not using disc jockey, DJs. Format c ...

* 102.5

WJRE WJRE is an FM radio station licensed to Galva, Illinois, with studios in Kewanee, Illinois. WJRE operates on a frequency of 102.5 MHz. WJRE plays traditional country format, with a mix of songs from the 1970s through today. WJRE is operated by F ...

"HOG Country 102.5",

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

(RDS) * 104.7 W284CV "Rock2.0", Rock * 100.1 W282AL (Translates 1450

WKEI WKEI (1450 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a News/Talk format. Licensed to Kewanee, Illinois, United States, the station serves the Quad Cities area. The station is currently owned by Fletcher M. Ford's Virden Broadcasting Corp. WKEI is now ...

News/Talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...

AM radio

* 1450

, News/Talk

Newspapers

* ''

Star Courier The ''Star Courier'' is an American daily newspaper published in Kewanee, Illinois. It is owned by Gannett. The daily newspaper is the largest of Gannett's holdings in Henry County, Illinois, which also include the shopper publication ''Henry C ...

Notable businesses

Hotel Kewanee The Hotel Kewanee is a former hotel in downtown Kewanee, Illinois, located at 125 North Chestnut Street. History The Hotel Kewanee was built in 1916. It is a four-story brick building, and during its heyday it featured over 100 guest rooms, a ...

* Sandy's Drive-In National Headquarters

Notable people

Walter T. Bailey Walter Thomas Bailey (January 11, 1882 – February 21, 1941) was an American architect from Kewanee, Illinois. He was the first African American graduate with a bachelor of science degree in architectural engineering from the University of Illin ...

(1882–1941), architect. Born and raised in Kewanee, Bailey was the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

graduate of the University of Illinois' School of Architecture.Wilson, Dreck Spurlock. ''African-American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary (1865–1945)'',
Google Books link
,

Taylor & Francis Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in England that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, Routledge, F1000 (publisher), F1000 Research or Dovepress. It is a division of Informa ...

, 2004, pp. 15–26, (). * B. Frank Baker (1864–1939), member of the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...

, was a resident of Kewanee and served as its mayor. *

Neville Brand Lawrence Neville Brand (August 13, 1920 – April 16, 1992) was an American soldier and actor. He was known for playing villainous or antagonistic character roles in Westerns, crime dramas, and ''films noir'', and was nominated for a BAFTA Aw ...

(1920-1992), actor and decorated

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

veteran *

Mike Cernovich Michael Cernovich (born November 17, 1977) is an American right-wing social media personality, political commentator, and conspiracy theorist. Though he initially called himself alt-right, he dissociated from the movement after Richard Spence ...

(born 1977), media personality. * W. K. Davidson (1904-1974), Illinois state representative, senator and restaurateur. * Edward Robb Ellis (1911-1998), journalist and diarist *

Richard Estes Richard Estes (born May 14, 1932 in Kewanee, Illinois) is an American artist, best known for his photorealist paintings. The paintings generally consist of reflective, clean, and inanimate city and geometric landscapes. He is regarded as one of ...

(born 1932), artist * Frederick Dilley Glidden (pen name

Luke Short Luke Lamar Short (January22, 1854September8, 1893) was an American Old West gunfighter, cowboy, U.S. Army scout, dispatch rider, gambler, boxing promoter, and saloon owner. He survived numerous gunfights, the most famous of which were agains ...

), Western writer, known for ''

Ramrod A ramrod (or scouring stick) is a metal or wooden device used with muzzleloading firearms to push the projectile up against the propellant (mainly blackpowder). The ramrod was used with weapons such as muskets and cannons and was usually held i ...

'' (1947) and ''

Blood on the Moon ''Blood on the Moon'' is a 1948 RKO black-and-white "psychological" Western film noir starring Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Preston and Walter Brennan. Directed by Robert Wise, the cinematography is by Nicholas Musuraca. The ...

'' (1948) * Bill Goffrier, guitarist for The Embarrassment *

Belden Hill Belden L. Hill (August 24, 1864 - October 22, 1934) was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association in nine games in 1890. He remained active as a player in minor league baseball thro ...

(1864-1934), MLB third baseman for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

* Em Lindbeck (1934-2008), MLB outfielder for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

, mayor of Kewanee *

Glenn McDonald Glenn McDonald (born March 18, 1952) is an American retired professional basketball player. He played three seasons for the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks before going overseas most notably in the Philippines, with the U/Tex Wranglers in ...

(born 1952), NBA small forward / shooting guard for the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

and

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

Amber McReynolds Amber Faye McReynolds (born 1979) is an American election administration expert who is a member of the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service. McReynolds is the chief executive of the National Vote at Home Institute, which suppor ...

(born 1979), chief executive of the National Vote at Home Institute and member of the

Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service The Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service is the governing body of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The board oversees the activities of the Postal Service, while the postmaster general actively manages its day-to-day o ...

, was raised in Kewanee. *

Albinus Nance Albinus Roberts Nance (March 30, 1848 – December 7, 1911) was an American politician. He served as a soldier during the American Civil War, and as the fourth governor of Nebraska. Nance was born in La Fayette, Illinois on March 30, 1848. He w ...

(1848-1911), 4th governor of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, was raised in Kewanee * Dennis Nelson, professional football player * Sod Ryan (1905-1964), NFL tackle for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

* Lindsay Stalzer (born 1984), professional volleyball player, was raised in Kewanee. *

Marjabelle Young Stewart Marjabelle Young Stewart (May 16, 1924 – March 3, 2007) was an American writer and expert on etiquette. Early life Stewart was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Marie and Clarence Cullen Bryant (a great-grandson of poet William Cullen Bryant) ...

(1924–2007), writer and expert on

etiquette Etiquette () is the set of norms of personal behaviour in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practised by a ...

, moved to Kewanee in 1965 and resided there until her 2007 death. *

Teresa Sullivan Teresa Ann "Terry" Sullivan (born July 9, 1949) is an American sociology professor and university administrator. She was the Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs of Michigan State University from October 2019 to June ...

(born 1949), President of the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

(2010–2018), was raised in Kewanee. *

Dale Whittaker A. Dale Whittaker (born August 13, 1961) is an American academic and senior program officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He was the fifth President of the University of Central Florida. He succeeded former President John Hitt in 2018, ...

, fifth President of the University of Central Florida

Transportation

The Kewanee Amtrak station serves trains on the ''

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...

'' and ''

Illinois Zephyr The ''Illinois Zephyr'' and ''Carl Sandburg'' are a pair of passenger trains operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Quincy, Illinois. As ''Illinois Service'' trains, they are partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transporta ...

'' daily. The current station was completed April 13, 2012.

References

External links

City of Kewanee
{{authority control Cities in Illinois Cities in Henry County, Illinois Populated places established in 1854 1854 establishments in Illinois