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.