History
The city we know and love, Evansville was first established in 1812 and was called McGary’s Landing. However, that name did not last long and in 1814 the name of the settlement was changed to Evansville in honor of Colonel Evans.
Evansville quickly became a thriving town, with extensive river trade. It was incorporated in 1819, and then later received a city charter in 1847. Today, Evansville continues to progress. Now the third-largest city in Indiana, Evansville has a population of 121,582 and serves as the center for a large trade area in Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois.
In addition, many corporate headquarters call downtown Evansville home, including Old National Bank, Vectren Corporation, Brill Media Company, Fidelity Federal Bancorp, Integra Bank Corporation, and Lic’s Deli & Ice Cream. These companies, in addition to many others, continue to contribute to downtown Evansville’s thriving business environment.
Timeline
| 1812 | Hugh McGary, founder of Evansville, purchased land at what is now downtown Evansville. McGary’s Landing was the original name of the settlement. |
| 1814 | McGary’s Landing was renamed Evansville in honor of Colonel Evans. |
| 1845 | The Evansville Courier newspaper began publication. |
| 1878 | The first telephone was installed in Evansville. |
| 1898 | The first automobile was driven in Evansville. |
| 1916 | The first steel-frame skyscraper, 10-stories high, was built in Evansville. This served as the original home to Citizen’s National Bank at the corner of Main and Sycamore Streets. |
| 1919 | Evansville College (now the University of Evansville) was chartered by Governor James F. Goodrich. |
| 1921 | Work starts on the Victory Theater in Downtown Evansville. The Victory allowed residents to enjoy movies, vaudeville acts, and orchestral performances. |
| 1923 | The Finke Furniture Company founded the first Evansville radio station, WGBF. |
| 1932 | The Evansville-Henderson auto bridge opened, connecting U.S. Highway 41 over the Ohio River. |
| 1936 | Dress Plaza was constructed on Evansville’s riverfront. |
| 1953 | WEHT, later Channel 25, brought the CBS television network to Evansville. However, WFIE, channel 62, was actually the first television station in Evansville. Both stations first broadcast in 1953. |
| 1956 | Roberts Municipal Stadium opened as a multi-purpose facility. |
| 1970 | Evansville’s first ever Freedom Festival took place downtown. |
| 1988 | The Lloyd Expressway opened, more conveniently connecting the west and east side of Evansville. |
| 1995 | Casino Aztar’s riverboat casino opened on December 8. |
| 1996 | Construction and restoration of the city’s historical riverfront pagoda is completed and becomes the home of the Evansville Convention & Visitors Bureau. |
| 1998 | The Victory Theater was restored to its former grandeur, in addition to becoming the new home for the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra. |
| 2000 | The $14 million renovation of the city’s riverfront is completed. The new riverfront includes seating for up to 10,000 people along the Dress Plaza, upgrading the esplanade, improving pedestrian access, and an Events Plaza. |
| 2002 | Having been a pedestrian walkway since 1971, Main Street reopened to traffic. |
| 2004 | The newly constructed Central Library opens downtown equipped with an expanded audio visual section, special activity areas, over 130 computers, and much more. |
| 2004 | The Evansville Redevelopment Commission awards more than $200,000 to developers to renovate downtown buildings into high-end lofts. |
| 2005 | The downtown riverfront becomes the home of the LST 325, a ship used during World War II to aid in the invasions of Sicily, Italy, and Normandy. In the 1940’s, the city of Evansville was a major manufacturing center that produced 167 LSTs. |
| 2006 | The Louis J. Kock Family Children’s Museum of Evansville (CMoe) opens in the old Central Library building. CMoe features five galleries celebrating health, nutrition and the human body, art and creative expression, science, mechanics and invention, and performance space. |
| 2006 | The Evansville City Council passes a resolution creating the Haynie’s Corner Arts District that allows establishment of galleries and new arts businesses in the district. |
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