Editing Owensboro, Kentucky (section)

==History==
Evidence of [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] settlement in the area dates back 12,000 years. 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. The settlement was originally known as "[[Yellow Banks, Kentucky|Yellow Banks]]" from the color of the land beside the [[Ohio River]]. In 1817, Yellow Banks was formally established under the name '''Owensborough''', named after [[Colonel (United States)|Col.]] [[Abraham Owen]]. In 1893, the spelling of the name was shortened to its current Owensboro.<ref name="history">{{cite web|url=https://visitowensboro.com/explore-owensboro/history/|title=Owensboro-Daviess County History}}</ref>

Several [[distiller]]s, mainly of [[bourbon whiskey]], have been in and around the city of Owensboro. The major distillery still in operation is the [[Glenmore Distillery Company]], now owned by the [[Sazerac Company]]. The other distillery, Green River Distilling Company, started in 1885 and is also Owensboro based. It is still in operation today.

On August 14, 1936, downtown Owensboro was the site of the last public [[hanging]] in the United States. 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nhregister.com/news/article/After-75-years-last-public-hanging-haunts-11578786.php#photo-13457437|title=After 75 years, last public hanging haunts Kentucky city (photos)|newspaper=New Haven Register|date=August 11, 2011}}</ref> 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.{{clarify|date=November 2018}} 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lynchings & Hangings|url=https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ah-lynching/8/|access-date=November 21, 2018}}</ref>

===Manufacturing===
[[File:Owensboro Morton Memorial.JPG|thumb|Dudley Morton Memorial at the American Legion Hall]]

As of 1903, Owensboro was home to several [[stemmeries]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OlsTAAAAYAAJ&q=stemmery | title=Biennial Report of the Labor Inspector of the State of Kentucky|author1=Andrew B. Ludwig|author2=WM. Young| year=1903|publisher=Geo. G. Fetter}}</ref>
Pinkerton Tobacco produced Red Man (now [[America's Best Chew]]) chewing tobacco in Owensboro. [[Swedish Match]] continues to make America's Best Chew in a plant outside city limits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swedishmatch.com/en/Global/Adresses/Address-container1/Owensboro/|title=Swedish Match – Swedish Match Owensboro Factory|website=www.swedishmatch.com|date=September 19, 2011 }}</ref>

The [[Owensboro Wagon Company]], established in 1884, was one of the largest and most influential wagon companies in the nation. With eight styles or sizes of wagons, the company set the standard of quality at the turn of the 20th century.

Frederick A. Ames came to Owensboro from [[Washington, Pennsylvania]], in 1887. He started the Carriage Woodstock Company to repair horse-drawn carriages. In 1910, he began to manufacture a line of automobiles under the [[Ames (automobile)|Ames]] brand name. Ames hired industrialist [[Vincent Bendix]] in 1912, and the company became the Ames Motor Car Company. Despite its product being called the "best $1500" car by a [[Texas]] car dealer, the company ceased production of its own model in 1915. The company then began manufacturing replacement bodies for the more widely sold [[Ford Model T]]. In 1922, the company remade itself and started to manufacture furniture under the name Ames Corporation. The company finally sold out to Whitehall Furniture in 1970.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/a/ames/ames.htm|title=F.A. Ames Company, 1911–1941; Ames Body Corporation, 1915–1922; Owensboro, Kentucky|website=www.coachbuilt.com}}</ref>

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.,<ref>Leonard Rex, "The seizure of the Ken-Rad Plant-1944". ''Daviess County Historical Quarterly'', April 1984, pp 27–31</ref> created the light bulbs that illuminated the first [[night game]] in the history of [[Major League Baseball]] on May 24, 1935, between the [[Cincinnati Reds|Reds]] and [[Philadelphia Phillies|Phillies]] at [[Cincinnati]]'s [[Crosley Field]].<ref>Suzi Bartholomy, "Thackers mark anniversary of landmark baseball game", ''[[Messenger-Inquirer]]'', Owensboro, Ky. Wednesday, May 26, 2010</ref> The Owensboro plant was a major part of General Electric's [[vacuum tube]] manufacturing operations, producing both receiving types and military/industrial ceramic types. 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 [https://www.bluegrasshall.org/ Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum] sits today. Today, Modern Welding Company has nine steel tank and vessel fabrication subsidiaries located throughout the United States, and five [[welding]] supply stores located in Kentucky and [[Indiana]]. The company is the country's largest supplier of underground and above ground steel storage tanks for flammable and combustible liquids. The company celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.modweldco.com/about/ |title=Modern Welding Company &#124; About Us |publisher=Modweldco.com |date=December 7, 2008 |access-date=May 15, 2012}}</ref>

[[Texas Gas Transmission]] Corporation was created in 1948 with the merger of Memphis Natural Gas Company and Kentucky Natural Gas Corporation and made its headquarters in Owensboro. Since that time, Texas Gas changed ownership four times. The company was bought by CSX Corp. in 1983, by Transco Energy Corp. in 1989, by Williams in 1995, and by Loews Corporation in 2003.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.txgt.com/AboutUs.aspx?id=54 |title=Texas Gas – History |publisher=Txgt.com |date=November 15, 2005 |access-date=May 15, 2012}}</ref>