Following a series of failed uprisings with British support, however, the last Shawnee were forced to vacate the area before the end of the 18th century.

The first European descendant to settle in Owensboro was frontiersman William Smeathers or Smothers in 1797, for whom the riverfront park is named.

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.

Swedish Match continues to make America's Best Chew in a plant outside city limits.

With eight styles or sizes of wagons, the company set the standard of quality at the turn of the 20th century.

[12] The start of the Kentucky Electrical Lamp Company, a light bulb manufacturing company was in 1899; it eventually was acquired by Kentucky Radio Company (Ken-Rad) in 1918 and later acquired by General Electric in 1945 and in 1987 acquired by MPD, Inc.,[13] created the light bulbs that illuminated the first night game in the history of Major League Baseball on May 24, 1935, between the Reds and Phillies at Cincinnati's Crosley Field.

In 1961, engineers at the General Electric plant in Owensboro introduced a family of vacuum tubes called the Compactron.

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 the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum sits today.

The company is the country's largest supplier of underground and above ground steel storage tanks for flammable and combustible liquids.

[16] Owensboro is located at the crook of a bend in the Ohio River, 37 miles (60 km) southeast of Evansville, Indiana.

One such event occurred on December 9, 1952, when F3 tornado tore directly through the city, injuring three people.

According to the 2007 census, the Owensboro Metropolitan Area includes Daviess, Hancock, and McLean counties.

The following is a breakdown of measurably significant 2020 statistics: Owensboro and Daviess County are home to several historic churches.

In 1937, Pope Pius XI established the Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro, which spans approximately the western third of the state.

[28] The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum won the Governor's Award for Community Arts in 2013[29][30] The Owensboro Oilers baseball team compete in the collegiate wood-bat Ohio Valley League.

[citation needed] Many of the city high schools produced talented college and professional athletes.

The Board of Commissioners is the legislative body of the city government and represents the interests of the citizens.

In 2006, plans were announced for a research center operated by the University 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 ever human papilloma virus vaccine, called Gardasil, from tobacco plants.

[45] Radio stations include WBIO, WXCM, WLME, WOMI, WVJS and WBKR broadcasting from Owensboro.

[46] However, in early 2007, NBC affiliate WFIE-TV opened a bureau in Owensboro which covers news on the Kentucky side of the market.