The Kewanee Boilermakers were a
minor league baseball
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
team based in
Kewanee, Illinois. From 1908 to 1913, the Boilermakers played exclusively as members of the
Central Association
The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. The Central Association began play in 1908, evolving from the 1907 Iowa State League. The Central Association played continuously through 1917 before folding. The league reforme ...
, hosting home games at Terminal Park. The 1948
Kewanee A's succeeded the Boilermakers in minor league play.
The Boilermakers moniker was adopted and still in use by
Kewanee High School.
History
Minor league baseball began in Kewanee, Illinois when the 1908 Kewanee "Boilermakers" became charter members of the
Class D level
Central Association
The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. The Central Association began play in 1908, evolving from the 1907 Iowa State League. The Central Association played continuously through 1917 before folding. The league reforme ...
, with Kewanee fielding a minor league baseball team for the first time.
Kewanee was joined by the
Burlington Pathfinders,
Keokuk Indians
The Keokuk Indians were a minor league baseball team based in Keokuk, Iowa. The "Indians" played as members of various minor leagues between 1904 and 1935. Keokuk minor league teams played under other nicknames in the era.
The 1875 Keokuk Weste ...
,
Jacksonville Lunatics,
Oskaloosa Quakers,
Ottumwa Packers,
Quincy Gems and the
Waterloo Lulus as charter members in the eight–team league, beginning league play on May 7, 1908.
The Kewanee use of the "Boilermakers" moniker corresponds to local industry. The local Kewanee Boiler Company, was a large manufacturing factory in Kewanee.

Playing in the 1908 Central Association, Kewanee ended the season with a record of 48–79, placing seventh in the Central Association standings.
The 1909 Boilermakers finished with a 73–61 record, placing fourth in the final standings. The 1910 Kewanee team finished eighth and last with a 43–91 record. The 1911 Boilermakers finished in fifth place with a record of 59–67. The Central Association did not have playoffs during those seasons.
On May 20, 1911, Kewanee's John Beltz pitched a no–hitter vs. the
Muscatine Camels. Kewanee won the game 6–0. Kewanee had a second no–hitter on August 29, 1912, when Tom Drohan threw a no–hitter against the
Hannibal Cannibals
Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War.
Hannibal's father, Hamilcar Barca, was a lead ...
in a 4–0 Kewanee victory.
The 1912 Kewanee Boilermakers finished second in the eight–team Central Association with a 74–51 record, finishing 3.5 games behind the first place
Streator Speedboys. Kewanee had 1912 season attendance of 19,000.
In 1913, Kewanee placed seventh in the Central Association standings, finishing 6.5 games behind the first place
Ottumwa Packers with a 59–65 record. The Kewanee Boilermakers folded following the 1913 season, along with the
Monmouth Browns. The two new teams to replace them in the 1914 Central Association were the
Clinton Pilots
Clinton is an England, English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton, Cambridgeshire, Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton (g ...
and
Marshalltown Ansons. The Central Association eventually folded after the 1917 season, before being reformed in 1947.
Kewanee High School adopted the "Boilermakers" moniker in 1927 and continue play as the Kewanee Boilermakers today.
After folding in 1913, Kewanee was without minor league baseball for 35 years. On June 18, 1948, the
Moline A's of the Central Association moved from
Moline, Illinois
Moline ( ) is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in the 2020 census, it is the largest city in Rock Island County and the List of municipalities in Illinois, ninth-most populous in Illinois outside ...
to Kewanee and became the
Kewanee A's, who played in 1948 and 1949.
The ballpark
From 1908 to 1913, the Kewanee Boilermakers played minor league home games at Terminal Park. Terminal Park was also home to the Kewanee Regulars football club. Terminal Park was located on Lake Street in Kewanee, Illinois.
Timeline
Year–by–year records
Notable alumni
*
Marty Berghammer (1911)
*
Coonie Blank (1908)
*
Hick Cady (1908)
*
Dave Callahan (1908–1909)
*
Al Demaree (1908)
*
Tom Drohan (1911–1913)
*
Rowdy Elliott (1908–1909)
*
Fred House (1912)
*
Jimmy Johnston (1908–1909)
*
Frank Lobert (1910)
*
Art Phelan (1909)
*
Claude Thomas (1910)
*
Lon Ury (1910)
*
Johnny Wanner (1911)
*
Kewanee Boilermakers players
References
{{reflist, 2
External links
Kewanee - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams
Defunct baseball teams in Illinois
Professional baseball teams in Illinois
Sports clubs and teams in the Quad Cities
Central Association teams
Central Association
Kewanee, Illinois
Baseball teams established in 1908
Baseball teams disestablished in 1913