OWENSBORO

city, seat (1815) of Daviess county, on the Ohio River in northwestern Kentucky, U.S., 38 miles (61 km) southeast of Evansville, Ind. 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 first named Rossborough but was later changed to Owensboro to honour Colonel Abraham Owen, a veteran of early Kentucky wars. During the American Civil War, it was the site of the Federal Camp Silas B. Miller. A Confederate attack was repelled in 1862, but, in August 1864, guerrillas attacked and burned part of the town, including the courthouse. The city is the centre of a rich oil and agricultural (tobacco, corn , wheat, soybeans, and fruit) region. Manufactures include bourbon whiskey, alloy steel, chemicals, furniture, radio tubes, and cigars. It is the site of Kentucky Wesleyan (1858) and Brescia (1950) colleges and the Natural Science Museum. Annual events include the Festival of the Arts (September) and the Owensboro Hydroplane Regatta (June). Inc. town, 1817; city, 1866. Pop. (1990) city, 53,549; Owensboro MSA, 87,189.