Kewanee dates to 1854, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 75% of U.S. towns · #222 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Kewanee Hotel and the Kewanee Public Library. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1880.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kewanee is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #222 of 768 in Illinois. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kewanee’s overall grade.
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Kewanee’s 1.7 sits above most of its state (66% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.8 points). Two sources give 1854.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Kewanee’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
People over time
Kewanee, census by census
Peaked at 17,093 in 1930; 12,509 people lived here in 2020.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Kewanee’s Wikipedia page.
The story so far
Kewanee, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Kewanee yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Kewanee ( ) is a city in Henry County, Illinois. "Kewanee" is the Winnebago word for greater prairie-chicken, which lived there. The population was 12,509 in the 2020 census, down from 12,916 in 2010.
Kewanee was established in 1854. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 12,916 to 12,509 (-3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Kewanee in 1910
Passages that mention Kewanee, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Henry County, Illinois1910 · page 936Read the page →
Read the text
bridge early in the fall of 1895, Captain EUis, after attending the formal opening of the bridge and the banquet which was given January 21, 1896, by the Sioux City Commercial Association to the Bridge Company, returned to his home and family in Kewanee. In May, 1902, he was recalled to Sioux City on important business of the Bridge Company, where he became ill. His condition grew serious rapidly until the i6th day of May, when he passed away in his apartments at the Garretson Hotel. His remains were brought back to Kewanee for interment and the funeral, which was held May 20, 1906, was one of the most largely
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Kewanee, 1839 to 1983
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1854, according to Wikidata. Kewanee’s post office opened in 1839, and the census of 1880 counted 2,704 people here.
How does Kewanee rank for history?
Kewanee is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #222 of 768 in Illinois. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Kewanee?
Two places: the Kewanee Hotel (listed 2006) and the Kewanee Public Library (2006).
How old are the homes in Kewanee?
41% of Kewanee’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.8 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1948.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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