History
In the early 19th century, the Kewaskum area was home to the Potawatomi, who surrendered the land to the United States Federal Government in the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, which required them to leave Wisconsin by 1838. [9] While many Potawatomis moved west of the Mississippi River to Kansas, some chose to remain, and were referred to as "strolling Potawatomi" in contemporary documents because many of them were migrants who subsisted by squatting on their ancestral lands, which were now owned by white settlers. [10] A band of strolling Potawatomi traveled through Dodge, Jefferson, and Washington counties, and was led by Chief Kewaskum, who had a camp on Pike Lake. The chief was friendly with the white settlers who began arriving in the 1840s. [7] He died sometime between 1847 and 1850, [8] but itinerant Potawatomis lived in Washington County into the late 19th century, when many of them gathered in northern Wisconsin to form the Forest County Potawatomi Community. [10]
The first settlers in the area were the Barnes family, who arrived in 1844 and began farming near the future village. [11] In 1847, the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature created the town of North Bend from land that had previously been part of the town of West Bend, and the community's first post office was established. [11] In 1849, the residents changed their community's name to the "town of Kewaskum" to distinguish it from neighboring West Bend. [12]
While the first settlers were primarily farmers, the village of Kewaskum traces its origins to J. H. Myer, who settled on a horseshoe bend in the Milwaukee River in 1852 and later built a sawmill and a gristmill. The settlement, which was originally known as "Myer's Mill" and later as "Kewaskum Center," [12] soon became a market town with a general store and a blacksmith shop serving the local farmers. The first religious services were held in private homes, and in 1862 the Catholic villagers constructed a church. A German Methodist church was built in 1866 and a Lutheran church was built in 1868. [11] In 1873, the Chicago and North Western Railway completed a line from Milwaukee to Fond du Lac with a station in Kewaskum. [13] The community's rail connections caused the local economy to grow and prosper as new businesses, including hotels, stores, and grain elevators opened around the station. [12] [14] The Village of Kewaskum incorporated on May 7, 1895. [15]
While the village economy was primarily agricultural in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Kewaskum became increasingly industrialized throughout the 1900s. In 1919, Adolph L. Rosenheimer founded the Kewaskum Aluminum Company in the village to manufacture aluminum cookware. During World War II, the company made aluminum products for military use, before being acquired by Enterprise Aluminum Company of Ohio in 1945. The company was renamed Regal Ware in 1951, and through acquisitions of aluminum companies in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, and Mississippi, moved into the international high-end consumer cookware market. [16] Regal Ware was sold to Vernon Hills, Illinois-based Focus Products Group which took the name West Bend Housewares. [17] Kewaskum's population grew during the post–World War II economic expansion, leading the village to annex land from the town of Kewaskum for new commercial and residential developments. The village first annexed land in 1959 and again in 20 of the next 46 years. [18] Additionally, Kewaskum annexed a noncontiguous parcel of land in the town of Auburn in Fond du Lac County in 1963. [19]
Demographics
According to realtor website Zillow, the average price of a home as of September 30, 2026, in Kewaskum was $361,823. [24]
As of the 2024 American Community Survey, there were 1,805 estimated households in Kewaskum with an average of 2.44 persons per household. The village has a median household income of $94,141. Approximately 10.8% of the village's population lives at or below the poverty line. Kewaskum has an estimated 62.0% employment rate, with 20.7% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 92.9% holding a high school diploma. [25] There were 1,852 housing units at an average density of 266.22 per square mile (102.79/km2).
The top five reported languages (people were allowed to report up to two languages, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (96.5%), Spanish (3.0%), Indo-European (0.0%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.4%), and Other (0.0%).
The median age in the village was 38.8 years.
Kewaskum, Wisconsin – racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.| Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic) | Pop. 1990 [26] | Pop. 2000 [27] | Pop. 2010 [28] | Pop. 2020 [29] | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|
| White alone (NH) | 2,482 | 3,192 | 3,799 | 3,940 | 98.69% | 97.50% | 94.88% | 91.44% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1 | 9 | 19 | 51 | 0.04% | 0.27% | 0.47% | 1.18% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 5 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 0.20% | 0.18% | 0.25% | 0.21% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 5 | 12 | 22 | 32 | 0.20% | 0.37% | 0.55% | 0.74% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | — | 0 | 2 | 3 | — | 0.00% | 0.05% | 0.07% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 0.00% | 0.12% | 0.02% | 0.21% |
| Mixed race or multiracial (NH) | — | 21 | 34 | 132 | — | 0.64% | 0.85% | 3.06% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 22 | 30 | 117 | 133 | 0.87% | 0.92% | 2.92% | 3.09% |
| Total | 2,515 | 3,274 | 4,004 | 4,309 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 4,309 people, 1,766 households, and 1,183 families residing in the village. [30] The population density was 706.76 inhabitants per square mile (272.88/km2). There were 1,813 housing units at an average density of 297.37 per square mile (114.82/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 92.62% White, 1.18% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.00% from some other races and 4.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.09% of the population. [31]
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 4,004 people, 1,581 households, and 1,148 families residing in the village. [32] The population density was 632.03 inhabitants per square mile (244.03/km2). There were 1,698 housing units at an average density of 268.03 per square mile (103.49/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 96.03% White, 0.47% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.22% from some other races and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.92% of the population.
There were 1,581 households, of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.4% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24; 29.7%, from 25 to 44; 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.8 years. For every 100 females, there were _ males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were _ males.
The gender makeup of the village was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 3,274 people, 1,212 households, and 895 families residing in the village. The population density was 856.11 inhabitants per square mile (330.55/km2). There were 1,264 housing units at an average density of 330.52 per square mile (127.61/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 97.95% White, 0.27% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from some other races and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 1,212 households, out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24; 31.7%, from 25 to 44; 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $49,861, and the median income for a family was $55,144. Males had a median income of $37,639 versus $25,806 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,509. About 4.0% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
