The Kentucky General Assembly quickly abolished public executions after the embarrassment this caused. Before Bethea was dead, the crowd had already begun to tear at his clothes and even his body for souvenirs.

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. A carnival atmosphere was in place with vendors selling hotdogs, attended by a large crowd including children and many reporters. 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). On August 14, 1936, downtown Owensboro was the site of the last public hanging in the United States. The major distillery still in operation is the Glenmore Distillery Company, now owned by the Sazerac Company. Several distillers, mainly of bourbon whiskey, have been in and around the city of Owensboro. In 1893, the spelling of the name was shortened to its current Owensboro. In 1817, Yellow Banks was formally established under the name Owensborough, named after Col. The settlement was originally known as ' Yellow Banks' from the color of the land beside the Ohio River. The first European descendant to settle in Owensboro was frontiersman William Smeathers or Smothers in 1797, for whom the riverfront park is named. 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 metropolitan area is the sixth largest in the state as of 2018, and the seventh largest population center in the state when including micropolitan areas.Įvidence of Native American settlement in the area dates back 12,000 years. The metropolitan population was estimated at 116,506. The 2020 census had its population at 60,183. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about 107 miles (172 km) southwest of Louisville, and is the principal city of the Owensboro metropolitan area. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population.

Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States.

Modern welding company tank charts