One of my many jobs as a maintenance worker is monitoring and making repairs to our buildings’ heating systems. Our courthouse steam boilers are currently our oldest units in operation. Yours truly makes sure that they run smoothly and get the necessary attention they need when issues pop up. Because of the time I spend down in the boiler room, I started digging into the history of the equipment. Old machines like these are classic pieces of Americana. What I turned up was some really cool history about this room deep within the Winnebago County Courthouse.
The courthouse was equipped with two, coal-fired boilers built by the Kewanee Boiler Company. Coal was stored in a large bunker under the sallyport ramp that had to be refilled each season. Augers moved the coal from the bunker into a hopper which was suspended from the ceiling above the boilers. The hopper dropped the coal into the automatic stokers that fed fuel into the fireboxes.
Condensate Vacuum Pump 
Inside Coal Bunker Under Ramp 
Old Gauges
In 1963 the county replaced the old coal-fired boilers with updated natural gas boilers. The original boilers and coal handling equipment were removed during the upgrade, but remnants of the original equipment are still there. The Chicago Pump Company condensate pump is still part of our current steam heating system. One of the old gauges that provided the boiler operators operating information is still mounted on a back wall. Now and then I will poke my head into the old coal bunker under the ramp.
(Newspapers.com, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, September 4, 1963, Page 5
Boiler #1 
Boiler #2 
Boiler Nameplate
Boiler #3 was added in the late 1970s when the Public Safety Building, which housed the sheriff’s department and jail, was built on the east side of Jackson Street. The steam heating system from the courthouse was tied into then-new Public Safety Building via steam lines that ran underground. Today, the Public Safety Building is no longer a county building, and it has long had its own heating system independent of the courthouse boilers.
(Newspapers.com, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, September 13, 1977
Boiler Info Plate 
Boiler Nameplate 
Boiler #3
Working on these old machines can be a challenge, but I am proud to be learning about this type of equipment, how it operates, and how to maintain it. Plus, I am learning some really intriguing history in the process. Do you have any old machines that prompted you to do a little historical research? What did you find out?
Austin M. Frederick 
Years ago, I rebuilt a roll for machine for Kewanee Boiler. Not long after, I worked on bearings for the BIG roll form machine there. Not more than 6 months later the place closed down 😦
Wow, thanks for the comment,Charlie!
Austin,
Really cool find. I’ve developed a website dedicated to Kewanee Boilers after finding a 1968 American Standard-Kewanee Type C boiler in my high school. I also found a 1974 Kewanee Type M boiler at the local vocational technical school. There are a lot of Kewanee Boilers out there still running and heating fine… always cool to hear of more.
Please keep up the good work on keeping these machines running. They’ll probably outlast many of the boilers made today with proper care and maintenance.
Also, is it okay if I link to this page on my Kewanee Boiler website?
Of course you can! I no longer work at the courthouse, but they still have a great crew of guys and a gal taking care of these old boilers.
I have been restoring a 1948 Kewanee steam boiler Type C. Originally a coal burning boiler, now converted to natural gas. She is still working strong in my commercial building. I have some pictures if you would like to post them. Thank you for carrying on the Kewanee name and history.
I would love to see them—AustinMFred@gmail.com