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In 1817, Yellow Banks was formally established under the name Owensborough, named after Col. Abraham Owen. In 1893, the spelling of the name was shortened to its current Owensboro. [7] Several distillers, mainly of bourbon whiskey, have been in and around the city of Owensboro.
Sep 5, 2024 · Founded about 1800, it was known to early flatboat men as Yellow Banks, from the colour of the clay along its high riverbanks. The town, laid out in 1816, was named Owensborough (later Owensboro) to honour Colonel Abraham Owen, a veteran of early Kentucky wars.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Owensboro’s first settler was William Smeathers, popularly known as Bill Smothers, who in 1797 built a cabin on the south bank of the Ohio River. Original settlers arrived in flatboats coming from the northeast, the flatboats naturally drifting to the south side of the riverbank with the swift river currents.
the name of this place, however, it was generally abbreviated to the simpler form, "Yellow Banks", and the town was scarcely known by any other name until about 1829 or 1830.
The name was given because of the deep yellow color of the river bank, composed of yellow clay, extending about six miles along the river, and from ten to twenty feet above the highest floods in the Ohio.
From its early Native American roots to its modern-day preservation efforts, Owensboro offers a fascinating glimpse into the past. Discover the pioneering families who settled here, the strategic importance of the city during the Civil War, and the industrial growth that shaped its economy.
The first European descendant to settle in Owensboro was frontiersman William Smeathers (Smothers) in 1797, for whom the riverfront park in downtown Owensboro is named. A Kentucky Historical Marker is erected in his honor at the park.
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