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c.1100 - c.1450
One-thousand Native Americans (200 families) of the Mississippian culture lived at a settlement later known as Angel Mounds, on the banks of the Ohio River along the present Warrick/Vanderburgh county line. During their three and one-half centuries at this site, the people living there planned a community consisting of thatched roofed houses, an extensive defensive stockade and ceremonial mounds.
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1821
The Presbyterians established the first church organization in Evansville. By the 20th century, the congregation evolved into the First Presbyterian Church.
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1853
The Wabash and Erie Canal was completed from Toledo, Ohio, to Evansville. When originally proposed in the 1830s, the canal was expected to bring an economic boom to Evansville, but in the 1850s it was quickly made obsolete by rail lines crossing the Midwest.
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1861 - 1865
Though Evansville is often noted for its southern heritage, the citizens of the city predominantly supported the Union cause during the Civil War.
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1885
A great advance in the transportation system in the Evansville area was the construction of a steel railroad bridge by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. It went across the Ohio River to Kentucky. Though trains had crossed the river previously by means of a rail ferry, this bridge was much more efficient.
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1892
The first electric streetcar was introduced in Evansville.
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1911
The first flight occurs in Evansville. On Wednesday, March 30, 1910, in a Curtiss pusher-type biplane, amateur aviator Lionel C. Wolfe flew for 25 seconds above the old Tri-State Fairgrounds at Kentucky Avenue at the southeast corner of Madison Avenue. On June 9, 1911, at the Evansville Courier Air-Meet Exhibition also at the Fairgrounds, professional aviators Charles C. Witmer and Lincoln Beachey took more fully realized flights. Witmer took a short flight and Beachey made a longer flight, approximately 1000 feet. Additional flights were made the following day.
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1913
The flood of 1913 was the greatest to its time. With the Ohio River cresting at nearly 50 feet, much destruction was caused as debris and water inundated the city. Extensive property damage occurred in many communities along the Ohio River.
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1916
The first steel frame skyscraper was constructed in Evansville. This 10-story structure was originally home to Citizens National Bank and was built at the southwest corner of Main and Third Streets.
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1936
A major revision of Evansville’s riverfront occurred with the completion of Dress Plaza. Various Evansville civic leaders had envisioned a structure such as this on the city’s riverfront since the early part of the 20th century. Fear of disrupting river trade and the lack of available financing delayed the proposed project. The latter problem was solved by the administration of Mayor William Dress when partial funding for the project was made available from the Public Works Administration of the New Deal. City Engineer Louis Geupel named the Plaza in honor of Mayor Dress.
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1937
The greatest flood and natural disaster in the history of Evansville occurred in 1937. The Ohio River crested at a record 53.74 feet on January 31 after a month of unusually heavy precipitation in the Ohio Valley. The devastation caused by the flood was immense as the rising water destroyed scores of homes and businesses. An estimated $30 million of property damage (in 1937 figures) resulted from the flood.
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1942
During World War II, Evansville was a major manufacturer of war goods in the battle against the Axis Powers. At the height of production, an estimated 64,000 people were employed in war plants. The leading employers were the Evansville Shipyard, 19,200; Chrysler, 12,650; Servel, 12,000; Republic Aviation, 5,000; and Hoosier Cardinal, 3,000. Photo: Evelyn Cox, first women welder at Evansville Shipyard