Turning 200 is a pretty big deal, so in honor of its Bicentennial, Daviess County is throwing itself a yearlong birthday bash to celebrate Daviess County’s 200th birthday on June 1st. For a full calendar of events and activities, visit daviess200.org, but here are some of the highlights:
- Jan 31st: George Yeaman Celebration @ Empress Theater @ 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm.
George Yeaman was the 2nd Daviess County Judge, state representative, US Congressman, and diplomat. The movie “Lincoln” (2012) showed several scenes featuring Yeaman. In recognition of his involvement, a FREE showing of the movie will be held at the Empress with a special presentation afterward.
- May 30th: Bicentennial 5K Run/Walk @ Mount Saint Joseph @ 8:00 am – 10:00 am.
The Bicentennial 5K Run/Walk will be held on Saturday morning in beautiful Mount Saint Joseph in Western Daviess County.
- May 30th : Opening Ceremony @ Daviess Co. Courthouse Lawn @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
A time capsule from 1965 will be unearthed, along with speeches, costumed actors, craft demonstrations, etc.
- Jul 4th: Bicentennial Fireworks @ Downtown Owensboro @ 3:00 pm – 10:00 pm
For this year only, a special combined city-county fireworks display in honor of Daviess County’s 200th birthday. - Sep 26th: Bicentennial Wild Game Dinner @ Pioneer Village @ 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Presented by Friends of Pioneer Village. - Oct 3rd: Voices of Elmwood @ Elmwood Cemetery @ 6:00 pm – 9:30 pm
This year’s 7th Annual Voices of Elmwood will be celebrating Daviess County’s Bicentennial by featuring famous figures throughout Daviess County history.
The committee is also publishing the first history of the rural areas of the county since 1883 (so be sure to order your copy). They are now collecting pictures to scan and save for future generations and conducting oral interviews with citizens to record their first-hand accounts of Daviess County from decades ago. If you have any historical information you would like to include, a person you would like to be interviewed for the oral history project, or a historic picture to send, please contact the Daviess County Fiscal Court at http://daviess200.org/contact/
In the meantime, enjoy some “Bicentennial Bits” like these on the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/daviess200
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 of $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.
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.
