History
Daviess County was established in 1815. The county is named for Major Joseph Hamilton Daveiss (a recording error in the State Clerk's office accounts for the error in spelling, which was never corrected), the United States Attorney who unsuccessfully prosecuted Aaron Burr. [3] The county's borders were altered in 1829 to form Hancock County, in 1830 to absorb a small area surrounding Whitesville, in 1854 to cede land to McLean County, and finally in 1860 to annex 44 square miles (110 km2) from Henderson County.
The courthouse was burned in January 1865 during the American Civil War, but the county records were spared destruction because they had been transferred to a church. [4]
Demographics
Historical population| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|
| 1820 | 3,876 | | — |
|---|
| 1830 | 5,209 | | 34.4% |
|---|
| 1840 | 8,331 | | 59.9% |
|---|
| 1850 | 12,362 | | 48.4% |
|---|
| 1860 | 15,549 | | 25.8% |
|---|
| 1870 | 20,714 | | 33.2% |
|---|
| 1880 | 27,730 | | 33.9% |
|---|
| 1890 | 33,120 | | 19.4% |
|---|
| 1900 | 38,667 | | 16.7% |
|---|
| 1910 | 41,020 | | 6.1% |
|---|
| 1920 | 40,733 | | −0.7% |
|---|
| 1930 | 43,779 | | 7.5% |
|---|
| 1940 | 52,335 | | 19.5% |
|---|
| 1950 | 57,241 | | 9.4% |
|---|
| 1960 | 70,588 | | 23.3% |
|---|
| 1970 | 79,486 | | 12.6% |
|---|
| 1980 | 85,949 | | 8.1% |
|---|
| 1990 | 87,189 | | 1.4% |
|---|
| 2000 | 91,545 | | 5.0% |
|---|
| 2010 | 96,656 | | 5.6% |
|---|
| 2020 | 103,312 | | 6.9% |
|---|
| 2024 (est.) | 104,457 | [6] | 1.1% |
|---|
|
As of the census [11] of 2010, there were 96,656 people, 36,033 households, and 24,826 families residing in the county. The population density was 198 per square mile (76/km2). There were 38,432 housing units at an average density of 83 per square mile (32/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.69% White, 4.35% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 0.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 36,033 households, out of which 32.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.60% were married couples living together, 11.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.10% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.80% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,813, and the median income for a family was $45,404. Males had a median income of $35,295 versus $21,971 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,739. About 9.40% of families and 12.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 11.40% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Distilling
Daviess County has long had a reputation as the leading center of the production of distilled spirits, chiefly Kentucky bourbon. Walter McFarland, who moved here from North Carolina, began making whiskey and peach brandy in about 1804 on a 200-acre (0.81 km2) estate just south of Panther Creek, on today's U.S. 431. [12] Cornelius Westerfield also began distilling corn whiskey in the early 1800s on his farm three miles (4.8 km) southwest of Whitesville, Kentucky, on Deserter Creek. It finally closed in 1872, after more than 60 years of production. [12]
By the 1880s, 18 large distilleries operated in Daviess County at the same time. Today only three remain. One dates back to 1869, the former Glenmore Distillery Company, which was originally the R. Monarch Distillery. In 1885, J.W. McCullough began the Green River Distillery which ran until Prohibition and was subsequently purchased thereafter by Charles Medley Distillers where it ran until the 1950s, changing ownership a number of times without producing anything until its eventual purchase by Trinidad-based Angostura Limited, who bought the Medley Distillery in 2007 with plans to make its entrance into the world's bourbon market, but the severe global recession in 2008 ended those plans. [13] The distillery was sold to the Terressentia Corporation in 2014. [13] In 2020, the distillery was renamed as Green River Distilling Co, restoring the Green River name that was used at the facility under McCulloch's original ownership. [13]
The following is list of distilleries operating in 1883 [14]
- Owensboro Distilling Company, founded 1880
- Sour-Mash Distilling Company, founded 1868
- Hill, Perkins and Company, founded 1880
- Rock Spring Distillery, founded 1881
- Hill and Perkins Distillery, founded 1866
- R. Monarch Distillery, founded 1869, acquired and renamed in 1901 Glenmore Distillery Company
- E.P. Millet and Company, founded 1880
- John Thixton Distillery Company
- John Hanning Distillery Company, founded 1869
- Eagle Distillery Company, founded 1869
- Daviess county Distilling Company, founded April 16, 1874 [15]
- M.P. Mattingly's Distyillery, founded 1855
- Daviess County Club Distillery, founded 1880
- J.W.M. Field Distillery, founded February 3, 1873
- J.T. Welch Distilling Company, founded March 1, 1881
- Boulware and Wilhoute's Distillery, founded 1880
- C.L. Appelgate and Company distillery, founded 1879 at Yelvington, Kentucky
Coal mining
The southwestern portion of the county around the Panther Creek area was heavily mined through the 1960s till the early 1990s. After 1998 large tracts of mined land were left unclaimed. Then after a lengthy search for contractors by the state government's Division of Abandoned Mine Lands, work commenced on the largest tract, a 42-acre (170,000 m2) tract once part of the now defunct Green Coal Company. The 42 acres (170,000 m2) of unclaimed land were part of Green Coal Company's mine once known as the "Panther Surface Mine". Green Coal Company was a staple mining company in Daviess County and was based nearby in Henderson.
Reclamation work commenced at the site on November 8, 1999, and was completed April 14, 2000. The licensed blaster employed by the contractor blasted the highwall into the pit, resulting in a reduced effort to grade and dress the final slope. Enough topsoil was gained from the area above the highwall to allow a growing medium for re-vegetation purposes. Through innovative field techniques and extraordinary cooperation from the contractor, this site has been returned to a very safe, stable and productive property. All 42 acres (170,000 m2) of this project was reclaimed expending $127,538.82 of the available bond. The land is now safe for the public and is considered prime farm property once again. [16]
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