Evidence ofNative American settlement in the area dates back 12,000 years. Following a series of failed uprisings with British support, however, the lastShawnee were forced to vacate the area before the end of the 18th century.
The first European descendant to settle in Owensboro was frontiersmanWilliam Smeathers or Smothers in 1797, for whom the riverfront park is named. The settlement was originally known as "Yellow Banks" from the color of the land beside theOhio River. In 1817, Yellow Banks was formally established under the nameOwensborough, named afterCol.Abraham Owen. In 1893, the spelling of the name was shortened to its current Owensboro.[7]
Severaldistillers, mainly ofbourbon whiskey, have been in and around the city of Owensboro. The major distillery still in operation is theGlenmore Distillery Company, now owned by theSazerac Company. The other distillery, Green River Distilling Company, started in 1885 and is also Owensboro based. It is still in operation today.
On August 14, 1936, downtown Owensboro was the site of the last publichanging in the United States. A 26 year old African American man,Rainey Bethea, was convicted and sentenced for the rape and murder of 70-year-old Lischa Edwards in a very short time (only 37 days lapsed between the crime and the execution). A carnival atmosphere was in place with vendors selling hotdogs, attended by a large crowd including children and many reporters.[8] The execution was presided over by a female sheriff,Florence Shoemaker Thompson, who gained national media attention for her role in the process, although she declined to spring the trap.[clarification needed] Before Bethea was dead, the crowd had already begun to tear at his clothes and even his body for souvenirs. The Kentucky General Assembly quickly abolished public executions after the embarrassment this caused.[9]
Dudley Morton Memorial at the American Legion Hall
As of 1903, Owensboro was home to severalstemmeries.[10]Pinkerton Tobacco produced Red Man (nowAmerica's Best Chew) chewing tobacco in Owensboro.Swedish Match continues to make America's Best Chew in a plant outside city limits.[11]
TheOwensboro Wagon Company, established in 1884, was one of the largest and most influential wagon companies in the nation. With eight styles or sizes of wagons, the company set the standard of quality at the turn of the 20th century.
Frederick A. Ames came to Owensboro fromWashington, Pennsylvania, in 1887. He started the Carriage Woodstock Company to repair horse-drawn carriages. In 1910, he began to manufacture a line of automobiles under theAmes brand name. Ames hired industrialistVincent Bendix in 1912, and the company became the Ames Motor Car Company. Despite its product being called the "best $1500" car by aTexas car dealer, the company ceased production of its own model in 1915. The company then began manufacturing replacement bodies for the more widely soldFord Model T. In 1922, the company remade itself and started to manufacture furniture under the name Ames Corporation. The company finally sold out to Whitehall Furniture in 1970.[12]
The start of theKentucky Electrical Lamp Company, alight bulb manufacturing company was in 1899; it eventually was acquired by Kentucky Radio Company (Ken-Rad) in 1918 and later acquired byGeneral Electric in 1945 and in 1987 acquired by MPD, Inc.,[13] created the light bulbs that illuminated the firstnight game in the history ofMajor League Baseball on May 24, 1935, between theReds andPhillies atCincinnati'sCrosley Field.[14] The Owensboro plant was a major part of General Electric'svacuum tube manufacturing operations, producing both receiving types and military/industrial ceramic types. In 1961, engineers at the General Electric plant in Owensboro introduced a family of vacuum tubes called theCompactron.
In June 1932, John G. Barnard founded the Modern Welding Company in a small building located near the Ohio River at First and Frederica Streets where theBluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum sits today. Today, Modern Welding Company has nine steel tank and vessel fabrication subsidiaries located throughout the United States, and fivewelding supply stores located in Kentucky andIndiana. The company is the country's largest supplier of underground and above ground steel storage tanks for flammable and combustible liquids. The company celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007.[15]
Texas Gas Transmission Corporation was created in 1948 with the merger of Memphis Natural Gas Company and Kentucky Natural Gas Corporation and made its headquarters in Owensboro. Since that time, Texas Gas changed ownership four times. The company was bought by CSX Corp. in 1983, by Transco Energy Corp. in 1989, by Williams in 1995, and by Loews Corporation in 2003.[16]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, Owensboro has a total area of 20.4 square miles (52.9 km2), of which 19.1 square miles (49.5 km2) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2), or 6.47%, is water.[17]
Owensboro has ahumid subtropical climate which is characterized by hot, humid summers and moderately cold winters. Day-to-day temperature differences can be high during the winter. Summers, in comparison, are much more stable. Severe weather, including the threat oftornadoes, is not uncommon throughout much of the year, with several notable events occurring throughout the city's history. One such event occurred onDecember 9, 1952, when F3 tornado tore directly through the city, injuring three people.[18]
Climate data for Owensboro, Kentucky (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1896–present)
As of the census of 2010, there were 58,083 people and 23,380 households within the city. Thepopulation density was 2,999.1 people per square mile (1,158.0 people/km2). There were 26,072 housing units at an average density of 1,394.7 per square mile (538.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 87.5%White, 7.3%African American, 0.9%Asian, 0.1%Native American, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.55% fromother races, and 2.5% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 3.2% of the population.
There were 23,380 households, out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,289, and the median income for a family was $41,333. Males had a median income of $33,429 versus $21,457 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $21,183. About 12.2% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.
Owensboro was named anAll-America City in 2013.[24] Owensboro placed fourth on Area Development's Top 20 Southern Cities, with a 9th-place ranking for its "recession busting factors" among the Top 25 Small Cities.[25]
Owensboro and Daviess County are served by many churches. According to statistics from U.S. Religion Census data[26] from 2020, collected by The Association of Religion Data Archives, approximately 63.9% of the county population is affiliated with a religious organization. Evangelical Protestants make up the largest contingent at 35.1%, with Southern Baptists being the largest single denomination in the county in terms of both number of congregations and adherents. Catholics are the second largest single denomination in number of adherents, representing 22.1%.
The following is a breakdown of measurably significant 2020 statistics:
Evangelical Protestant
35.1
Catholic
22.1
Mainline Protestant
5.3
Latter Day Saints
0.5
Jehovah's Witnesses
0.3
Black Protestant
0.3
Islam
0.2
Other Christians
0.1
Owensboro and Daviess County are home to several historic churches. Bethlehem Methodist Church on the east side of the county was organized in 1806, making it the oldest in the county. Nearby Yelvington Baptist Church dates back to 1813, making it the second oldest church in the county. Bethabara Baptist in Philpot dates back to 1825, while Pleasant Grove Baptist in Sorgho traces its origins back to 1835. First Baptist Church in Owensboro also dates back to 1835, as does Fourth Street Baptist Church.
St. Lawrence Parish in eastern Daviess County dates to 1822, making it the oldest Catholic parish in the county. St. Stephen Parish dates to 1839, and is the oldest parish in Owensboro. In 1937,Pope Pius XI established theRoman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro, which spans approximately the western third of the state. It includes 32 counties and covers approximately 12,500 square miles (32,000 km2).
TheDaviess-McLean Baptist Association, dating back to 1844, is the regional hub for 50+ Southern Baptist churches in Daviess, McLean, and northern Ohio County.
Owensboro is also home toTemple Adath Israel. Organized in 1858 and built in 1877, it is among the oldest Jewish synagogues in the United States.
Owensboro is home to theBluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum (Previously known as the International Bluegrass Music Museum[27]). The museum is dedicated to the history and preservation ofBluegrass music, as well as hosting theBluegrass Hall of Fame to celebrate the best of Bluegrass musicians. The venue also hosts many music events throughout the year.[28]
Owensboro is the "Barbecue Capital of the world"; it holds itsInternational Bar-B-Q Festival and competition every second weekend in May.[31]
Owensboro hosts "ROMP", "River of Music Party", abluegrass music festival.[32] ROMP has grown to 25,000 visitors a year.[33]
Lanham Brothers Jamboree is an event held every second Saturday from April through September at the Diamond Lake Resort Theater in Owensboro.[34]
During the summer, the city offers "Friday After 5", a free 16-week series of outdoor concerts on the downtown riverfront, which resumed after a pandemic break.[35][36]
The "Owensboro PumpkinFest" is held each September at the Sportscenter/Moreland Park complex. The festival includes food vendors, crafts people, carnival rides, children and adult activities and games, and contests using pumpkins.[37] The event was started by theGlenmary Sisters to raise awareness and funds.[38]
Owensboro Multicultural Festival is held each year to celebrate diversity.[39]
The Owensboro Oilers baseball team compete in the collegiate wood-bat Ohio Valley League. The Oilers were the KIT League's 2008 playoff champions and the 2006 KIT League season champions. The team is named for the baseball minor league farm team "Owensboro Oilers" which existed in the 1940s.[citation needed]Many of the city high schools produced talented college and professional athletes.
Owensboro has operated under a City Manager form of government since 1954. Citizens elect a mayor and four city commissioners who form the Board of Commissioners. The Board of Commissioners is the legislative body of the city government and represents the interests of the citizens. The Board of Commissioners hires acity manager who administers the day-to-day operations of the city.
The mayor is elected for a term of four years. Each city commissioner is elected for a term of two years. The term of the city manager is indefinite and based on performance.
In 2006, plans were announced for a research center operated by theUniversity of Louisville to be located at the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center, a part of the Owensboro Medical Health System, to study how to make the first everhuman papilloma virusvaccine, calledGardasil, from tobacco plants. U of L researcher Dr Albert Bennet Jenson and Dr Shin-je Ghim discovered thevaccine in 2006. If successful, thevaccine would be made in Owensboro.[42]
Owensboro has a lending library, the Daviess County Public Library.[43]
Radio stations includeWBIO,WXCM,WLME,WOMI,WVJS andWBKR broadcasting from Owensboro. One,WSTO-FM, is actually licensed to Owensboro, although its studios are now located in Evansville.
Although no television stations are based in the city, it is part of the Evansville television market, which is the 100th-largest in the United States, according toNielsen Media Research.[46] However, in early 2007,NBC affiliateWFIE-TV opened a bureau in Owensboro which covers news on the Kentucky side of the market. Many of the local television stations often promote themselves as servingEvansville, Indiana, Owensboro, Kentucky, andHenderson, Kentucky.
TheOwensboro Transit System (OTS) offers bus transit to residents, and the Green River Intra-County Transit System (GRITS) offers specialized bus services to residents with disabilities who are not able to ride fixed-route public transportation buses.
