Kewanee® began manufacturing boilers in 1868. Over the next 133 years, until production ceased in 2002, tens of thousands of Kewanee® boilers were sold to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the US and abroad. Kewanee® was part of various US manufacturing corporations over its life, the latest being Burnham Corporation, which purchased Kewanee® in 1991. In 2001, Burnham management decided to cease production and to withdraw the Kewanee® boiler from the marketplace, primarily due to the steadily declining numbers of industrial firetube boilers being built and sold in the US.

After production ceased, and the facilities in Kewanee®, IL were closed and ultimately sold, Burnham established a company in Indiana by the name of Classic Parts and Service to maintain the availability of authentic, original equipment replacement parts for Kewanee® boilers. In 2006, the assets of Classic Parts and Service were purchased by OEM Boiler Parts which had been established in 2003 by a former Kewanee® executive.