“We want to make this everybody’s birthday party. We hope everyone feels like this is one big party just for them,” explained Aloma Dew, who is co-chair of the Bicentennial Committee with her husband, Lee. Looking at the schedule of events, there really is something for everyone to enjoy: a 5K, fireworks, lectures, a wild game dinner, unearthing a time capsule, dedications, historical exhibits, and much more.
Daviess County Judge Executive Al Mattingly told Owensboro Living he’s most excited about the opportunity for young people to learn about Daviess County’s 200-year history. “If you think about it, I’ve lived almost a third of our history. My dad lived the middle third. When you consider our grandparents, altogether, we have relatives who have lived and experienced the majority of our history. This celebration is a fun time to celebrate that experience all year long,” Mattingly continued, “And it’s something our community will really enjoy.”
A committee of 20 was formed last August, and they’ve been busy ever since making plans and working out all the details. The Dews are perfect co-chairs; both are history buffs and former history professors. “This really is a team. We have wonderful people on this committee. They’re all working so hard, but it’s also a lot of fun,” Aloma said.
One of the unsung heroes on the committee is research intern Isaac Settle, a junior at Owensboro Catholic High School, who wrote an entire chapter about black soldiers in the civil war for an upcoming bicentennial book. “He is an amazing researcher and writer,” Dew proudly said.
Part of the impact of this bicentennial is to look toward the future, as well as to look back at the past. For example, on June 22 there will be a dedication of a historical marker recognizing black troops stationed in Owensboro during the Civil War. “Owensboro hasn’t really recognized black soldiers in the Civil War,” Dew said. “There are so many stories about these men and their sacrifices. There was a lot of recruitment of black troops in Owensboro and many were stationed here at the Courthouse.” That’s just one example of the moments from our history that will be celebrated throughout the bicentennial celebration.
“The goal of this whole year is to make people more aware of our history,” Dew said. “We have some things in our history that are very interesting. There’s also some things we may be ashamed of now. But we don’t choose our history. We learn from it and move forward and hope we’re better now because of it.”
Bicentennial Book
The committee is also publishing the first history of the rural areas of the county since 1883. The book will cover the history of the county from its earliest settlements up to 2015. It’s currently being printed and will be available at the May 30th birthday bash. It looks to be a very interesting book. “This will be a topical history, rather than a chronological history,” Dew explained, meaning that it will not be written chronologically, starting from the beginning of settlement to the present, but rather each chapter will tell a specific part of our county’s story. Each chapter will also be written by a different person. Twenty-one different people have contributed chapters, and the Dews have co-edited the entire project.
Bicentennial Bits
The committee has taken to social media to help spread the word. One of the most interesting ideas, that has really been a lot of fun, is the “Bicentennial Bits” that have been posted on the Bicentennial Facebook page. “Nancy Bradshaw is posting them on Facebook throughout the end of the year,” Dew explained. “A team of committee members is researching interesting facts from Daviess County’s history. The goal is to make people think about our history and learn things they might not have known.”
For example:
October, 1842 – The inaugural issue of the Owensboro Bulletin, the first newspaper published in Daviess County, was edited by William Pattee. It was a four-page paper that came out on Fridays. A subscription cost $2 a year.
December 24th, 1864 – Confederate Major Walker Taylor led his troops from the outskirts of Owensboro on Christmas Eve. When he encountered Union troops at the courthouse, he demanded that they surrender. They refused, but they did invite Taylor in for cards, whiskey, and cigars in honor of the season.
1882 – Brush Light and Power Co. was the first electrical power company in Daviess County. One year after it was organized it had 13 customers.
1893 – A Women’s Christian Temperance Union was organized by 300 Owensboro women. It became the first employment agency for women in Daviess County.
1903 – Owensboro hosted the Kentucky State Fair. While the event attracted an impressive crowd of 14,000, the venture was a financial failure that ended in a court battle.
1920 – During his unsuccessful bid for the Vice Presidency, Franklin D. Roosevelt gave an address at the Grand Theatre, which is now the site of the American Legion building on Veterans Boulevard.
Find more “Bicentennial Bits” like these on the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/daviess200
Bicentennial Website
The website devoted to the bicentennial is of course crammed full of Daviess County history and trivia. In writing this article I spiraled for hours on the site looking up sports history and old family photographs. I also found it interesting to browse the registry of early businesses and churches to try and find names that are still active today.
There is also a list of veterans, archived maps, a history of communities in Daviess County, and a log of government and transportation. You can literally spend days on the site, clicking down memory lane and re-discovering our heritage.
For more information about the Daviess County Bicentennial Celebration Birthday Bash, including a calendar of events and activities, visit www.daviess200.org.
[tw-divider]Be sure to enjoy Daviess County Bicentennial features at these annual events:[/tw-divider]
April 22, 5 p.m.
Earth Day Tree Planting
Courthouse lawn
May 8, 6 p.m.
International Bar-B-Q Festival Opening Ceremony
May 9, 7 p.m.
Lanham Brothers Show Variety music show at Diamond Lake Resort
May 22, 6 p.m.
Friday After 5 Bicentennial Birthday Bash Information booth
June 13 (All Day)
Soapbox Derby Bicentennial Birthday Bash Trophy at Ben Hawes
June 20 & 21
Bicentennial Balloon Days
Western KY Botanical Garden
June 24 – 27
ROMP – Bicentennial Birthday Bash Information booth
Yellow Creek Park
September 25 & 26
“Grillin’ & Chillin” BBQ Cook-Off Bicentennial Birthday Bash Trophy Diamond Lake Resort
August 1, 4 – 9 p.m.
Downtown Cruise In
Sept. 17-19, Sept. 24 – 26, Oct. 1 – 3
Voices of Elmwood
Featuring famous figures throughout Daviess County history
October 3, 6 – 8 p.m.
Buffalo Gala
Owensboro Museum of Fine Art
October
Trunnell’s Farm Market
Daviess County Days
October 17 & 18
Reid’s Apple Festival
Daviess County Bicentennial Birthday Bash Events at Reid’s Orchard
November 7, 2 p.m.
Annual Veterans Parade
Join us to salute our local veterans
November 21, 4 p.m.
Annual Christmas Parade
“A Bicentennial Christmas”
November 14 – December 31
Annual Holiday Forest Festival of Trees Featuring Bicentennial Decor Owensboro Museum of Fine Art
[tw-divider]Daviess County Bicentennial Celebration Exhibits[/tw-divider]
May 30, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Owensboro Museum of Fine Art
“Daviess County: Through the Lens of Art”
exhibition opening and reception
June (All Month)
Owensboro Antique Mall
Historical antique displays of
Daviess County memorabilia
June (All Month)
Bicentennial Postmark
Post Offices in Downtown Owensboro,
4th Street and Whitesville
June 6, 10 a.m. – noon
Daviess County History Book signings
Owensboro Antique Mall
June 9 – 12
Owensboro Museum of Art Bicentennial Art Camp
Kentucky Historical Society’s History Mobile activities
June 20, 1 p.m.
The Civil War in Daviess County Presentation
Daviess County Public Library
July 11, 3 p.m.
Memorablilia Day
Displays of Daviess County history
Daviess County Public Library
August 1, 1 – 3 p.m.
Pioneer Days at Daviess County Public Library
August 25 – 29
Celebration of Daviess County Women/Women’s History Week Owensboro Museum of Science & History
September 5, 1 – 3 p.m.
Daviess County Bicentennial: KY Dept. of Libraries and Archives Daviess County Public Library
October 1, 3 p.m.
Buffalo Paint Out
Owensboro Museum of Fine Art
October 3 & 4, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Farm Festival, Lampkin Farms
Historic farm machinery, demonstrations, music and family fun. 8284 Short Station Rd. Philpot, KY.
November 14, 1 – 3 p.m.
Family History Day presentation
Daviess County Public Library
[tw-divider]Daviess County Bicentennial Celebration Event Schedule[/tw-divider]
May 30 (All Day)
Bicentennial Birthday Bash
8 a.m. – 5K walk/run at Mount St. Joseph
Noon–4 p.m. – Bicentennial Birthday Bash on the Courthouse Lawn! Enjoy speakers, exhibits, storytelling, music, dancing, picnicking, photo ops, children’s activities, free birthday cake and opening of time capsule from 1965.
June 19, 6 p.m.
Juneteenth Dedication of Marker for Black soldiers
At Daviess County Courthouse, followed by a reception and “African American” exhibit opening at Owensboro Museum of Science and History at 7p.m.
July 11, 8 a.m.
Bicentennial 10/30/60-mile Bike Ride
Starting at Owensboro Convention Center. Also maps available for historical driving tour.
July 4, 6 p.m.
Fireworks Spectacular
For this year only, a special combined fireworks display, presented by the City of Owensboro and Daviess County, in honor of Daviess County’s 200th birthday. With performance by the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra. Downtown Owensboro.
August 15, 6 p.m.
Bicentennial Birthday Dinner at the Campbell Club,
Seasonal favorites with bourbon and wine pairings and historical Daviess County visitors throughout the evening.
September 12, 7 – 9 p.m.
“Murder at Yellow Banks” at Brescia University Science Building
Live radio play that explores the murder trial of Bill Smothers starring Gary Sandy.
September 25 – 27
Pioneer Days at Yellow Creek Park
Activities, food and hands-on experiences at Lambert Pioneer Village
Dec. 5
Holiday Stroll – Downtown Owensboro
Bicentennial Birthday Bash closing ceremony on Daviess County Courthouse lawn to rebury time capsule with community caroling around Bicentennial Christmas Tree.
