Owensville is the third largest town and the smallest of the five larger communities in
Gibson County,
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, United States. The population was 1,338 in 2020.
History
Owensville was established in 1817 by Phillip Briscoe, when he filed the town plat consisting of 52 parcels and five out-parcels. A fire in 1876 destroyed many of the wood framed businesses on the eastern side of the town square.
It was not until 1881 that Owensville incorporated.
On March 18, 1925, the
Tri-State Tornado
In the midday and afternoon hours of Wednesday, March 18, 1925, the deadliest tornado in United States history and second-deadliest worldwide moved through Eastern Missouri, Southern Illinois and Southern Indiana, killing 695 people and inj ...
struck just northwest of the town, killing nine people.
On
February 28, 2017, an EF3 wedge tornado, originating in
Crossville, Illinois, passed to the south of the town, destroying or heavily damaging several structures along Indiana 65. The highway was closed for several days as power crews replaced several large power poles.
On
April 8, 2024, Owensville, along with most of the rest of southwestern Indiana viewed a total solar eclipse, lasting approximately 3 minutes and 55 seconds.
Geography
Owensville is located at (38.271769, -87.690652).
According to the 2010 census, Owensville has a total area of , all land.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Owensville has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps, although areas just north of town have a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
. Local meteorologists often tend to use nearby
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 70, I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and U.S. Route 61, US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern ter ...
for comparison of local weather events.
In relation to climate, in 2004, the
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
installed a
NEXRAD
NEXRAD or Nexrad (Next-Generation Radar) is a network of 159 high-resolution S-band pulse-Doppler radar, Doppler weather radars operated by the National Weather Service (NWS), an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ...
Doppler Radar station approximately 2 miles west of the town.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 1,284 people, 510 households, and 337 families living in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 567 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.9%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.2%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.7%
Native American, 0.2%
Asian, and 0.9% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino people of any race were 1.2% of the population.
There were 510 households, of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.9% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.97.
The median age in the town was 40.6 years. 24% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 1,322 people, 523 households, and 359 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 565 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.18%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.23%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.38%
Native American, 0.23%
Asian, 0.53% from
other races, and 0.45% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino people of any race were 1.13% of the population.
There were 523 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,306, and the median income for a family was $40,263. Males had a median income of $35,294 versus $23,897 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the town was $15,916. About 5.2% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
Education

*
South Gibson School Corporation
* K-8:
Owensville Community School
* 9-12:
Gibson Southern High School
Former schools
*
Owensville High School (merged into
Gibson Southern High School in 1974)
Public library
The town has a lending library, the Owensville Carnegie Public Library.
Economy
Unlike Princeton and Fort Branch, Owensville's economy practically consists of a scant few family-owned business with only three exceptions:
Goodlettsville, Tennessee
Goodlettsville is a city in Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson and Sumner County, Tennessee, Sumner Counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was incorporated as a city in 1958 with a population of just over 3,000 residents; in 2020, its popul ...
-based
Dollar General
Dollar General Corporation is an American chain of discount stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 8, 2024, Dollar General operated 19,643 stores in the contiguous United States and Mexico.
The company began in 1939 in ...
,
Mount Carmel, Illinois
Mount Carmel is a city in and the county seat of Wabash County, Illinois, United States. At the time of the 2020 census, the population was 7,015, and it is the largest city in the county. The next largest town in Wabash County is Allendale, ...
-based Community Natural Gas, and
Mount Vernon, Indiana
Mount Vernon is a city in and the county seat of Posey County, Indiana, United States. Located in the state's far southwestern corner, within of both the southernmost or westernmost points, it is the westernmost city in the state. The southernm ...
-based Schultheis Insurance. The largest family-owned business in Owensville is Holder's Furniture. However, like Fort Branch, Owensville is largely surrounded by unincorporated subdivisions, primarily north of the town. The two largest employers of Owensville's residents are the
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana plant located halfway between Princeton and Fort Branch, as well as
Gibson Generating Station located 5.5 miles north-northwest of Owensville, as well two coal mines that opened up in 2008 and 2014, located 6 miles and 1 mile north of town respectively.
Like the other communities in Gibson County, Owensville's prime economy is based on
agriculture
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
. The farms immediately around the town primarily produce
corn
Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...
,
soybeans
The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed.
Soy is a key source of f ...
,
strawberries
The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit is appreciated f ...
, and
wheat
Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
. Like many other communities along the
Lower Wabash Valley, the surrounding
Montgomery Township is particularly known for its
watermelon
The watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, that has a large, edible fruit. It is a Glossary of botanical terms#scandent, scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, and is plant breeding ...
s,
pumpkin
A pumpkin is a cultivar, cultivated winter squash in the genus ''Cucurbita''. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many dif ...
s,
squash,
cantaloupe
The cantaloupe ( ) is a type of true melon (''Cucumis melo'') with sweet, aromatic, and usually orange flesh. Originally, ''cantaloupe'' refers to the true cantaloupe or European cantaloupe with non- to slightly netted and often ribbed rind. ...
s, and
zucchini
Zucchini (; : ''zucchini'' or ''zucchinis''), courgette () or ''Cucurbita pepo'' is a summer squash, a Vine, vining herbaceous plant whose fruit are harvested when their immature seeds and Fruit anatomy#Epicarp, epicarp (rind) are still soft a ...
, all heavily produced in the sandy bottom grounds located from the north to the southwest of the town. In addition,
milo tends to be produced in place of corn in areas prone to flooding from the
Wabash,
Patoka, or
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
Rivers or any of the other smaller creeks or streams that flow into them.
Owensville High School, which merged with Fort Branch and Haubstadt high schools to form Gibson Southern, had the first high school gymnasium in Indiana with a glass backboard. One of those backboards is now in the Indiana High School Basketball Hall of Fame in
New Castle, Indiana
New Castle is a city in Henry County, Indiana, United States. Located east-northeast of Indianapolis, on the Big Blue River, the city is the county seat of Henry County. New Castle is home to New Castle Fieldhouse, the largest high school g ...
.
Highways - local names
*
Indiana State Road 65 - First, Brummitt, and Mill Streets from north to south
*
Indiana State Road 165 - Brummitt Street west of Mill Street
*
Indiana State Road 168 - Walnut Street east of Mill Street
Notable people
*
Max Armstrong, farm news radio and television broadcaster reporting on American and worldwide agriculture
*
Valeska Suratt, silent film star, Broadway actress, Vaudevillian, early fashion icon
References
External links
Town of Owensville, Indiana website
{{authority control
Towns in Gibson County, Indiana
Towns in Indiana
Communities of Southwestern Indiana
Evansville metropolitan area
Populated places established in the 1790s