Kewaunee, WI

Kewaunee sits on the northwestern shore of Lake Michigan where the Kewaunee River meets the lake, and it serves as the Kewaunee County seat. The community became a village in 1873 and a city twenty years later, growing first through lumber, sawmills, furniture, and the natural harbor. Rail service arrived in 1891; the first Lake Michigan car ferry followed in 1892, turning the harbor into a major transportation link. The 2020 census counted 2,837 residents. That maritime past still has a physical centerpiece in the Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse.

The city took ownership of the light in 2011, and the lighthouse and pier entered the National and State Registers in 2022. The harbor, lighthouse, Marquette Historic District, and Marshland Walk give the city several ways to meet its lakefront past. Kewaunee Shipbuilding built 80 vessels for the U.S. military during World War II, so the waterfront story includes working industry as well as fishing, ferries, and shoreline views. Kewaunee is a county-seat town whose map keeps pointing back to the water.