Shortly before midnight on May 19, 1898, a fire broke out in a barn on Milwaukee Street near the northeast corner of Milwaukee and Ellis in Kewaunee. Fanned by strong, cold northeast winds, it soon engulfed many buildings on the north side of Ellis Street between Milwaukee and Main, and the new steam pumper, the hand pumper, and the valiant efforts of volunteers could not stop the strong winds and intense heat as the fire spread to the south side of Ellis Street. By early morning the fire was contained, but the downtown business district was virtually destroyed. A fire engine sent by special train from Green Bay arrived too late to help. In all, about 30 buildings valued at about $85,000 were lost, with about 60-70% of the loss covered by insurance. By later the next day, many merchants had set up temporary quarters, plans for rebuilding were soon made, new building codes were passed, and other measures were taken to try to prevent such a disaster from happening again as a new modern business district soon rose from the ashes.