DCPL Kentucky Room

11/09/2025

Tomorrow, November 10 at 2:00, we will have our first of three sessions entitled "Leafing Out Your Family Tree". We will present different tips and tricks of our trade to find out more about your family- along with a detailed tour of the Kentucky Room! This event will be the same each time, we are trying to provide enough variety to where if you want to come, there will hopefully be a time and date that is convenient to you.

11/07/2025

The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought in Battle Ground, Indiana on this date in 1811. But how does that relate to Owensboro? Colonel Abraham Owen, a prominent Kentucky pioneer, lawmaker, and soldier was killed in the battle. Additionally, Joseph Hamilton Daveiss (that's not a typo) was mortally wounded in the same battle. If these names sound familiar, they should. In 1815, our new county was named after Daveiss (which a clerk misspelled) and in 1817, the Kentucky General Assembly named our town Owensboro, after Colonel Owen.

11/05/2025

According to the Nov 5, 1925 Owensboro Inquirer, "dopesters" predicted that R. Miller Holland would be the next City Attorney- and he was. In that office, he handled the legal work for the establishment for the new (1939) municipal light and water plant and the Owensboro Daviess County Hospital. We were surprised that "dopester" was used 100 years ago. For the record, at that time, it meant "to predict the outcome of events".

11/03/2025

One week from today, on November 10 at 2:00, we will have our first of three sessions entitled "Leafing Out Your Family Tree". We will present different tips and tricks of our trade to find out more about your family, and a detailed tour of the Kentucky Room! This event will be the same each time, we are trying to provide enough variety to where if you want to come, there will hopefully be a time and date that is convenient to you!

10/31/2025

To celebrate Halloween, take a look at these advertisements from old Owensboro Messenger newspapers. The first is an ad from 1912 for the Butter-Krust Bakery at the Owensboro Bread Company. The second is an ad from 1906 for Gropp's Shoe Store. While these businesses were very important to Owensboro, we here in the Kentucky Room find the artwork to be a little... unsettling. Something about those eyes just give us the heebie-jeebies. Which ad sends shivers down your spine?

10/29/2025

To celebrate the most beloved companions of most librarians, we present to you, "Fuzzy Wuzzy", a little white kitten on a postcard from the Katherine Whitaker Postcard Collection. Comment a picture or the names of your cats and kittens at home, we'd love to see them!

10/27/2025

Exactly 100 years ago today, The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer was in the process of putting out a campaign in order to garner new subscriptions- and make a lot of little ones happy. We got a good laugh out of the language in the article. What do you think? Would you want a Flossie Flirt Doll for your very own, or do you think this was an appropriate post in the spirit of Halloween?

10/24/2025

On October 24th, 1945, the Kentucky Broadcasters Association was founded by Owensboro's Hugh O. Potter (1905-1986). Potter was the longtime General Manager of WOMI radio station and an avid local historian. Many of his works are housed in the Kentucky Room and his oral history can be accessed in our digital archives.

10/23/2025

10/22/2025

Just a reminder- TOMORROW, October 23rd at 6:00 here in the Kentucky Room, our local spooky storyteller, Mr. David Wolfe II will be here to regale us with his tales from the Appalachian Mountains. You won't want to miss it!

10/20/2025

Yesterday, October 19th, was National Kentucky Day! While we like to think every day is Kentucky Day here in our Room, we are glad to spend time celebrating and reflecting on the beautiful state we live in. What's your favorite thing about Kentucky?

10/17/2025

In honor of Squirrel Awareness Month (yes, you read that right), we would like to pay homage to Kentucky's state animal- and our Kentucky Room mascot! Known to be persistent and resourceful, squirrels represent a part of what we do here in the Kentucky Room- digging for answers and climbing family trees. Want to take a little piece of the Kentucky Room home? Stop by and get a free sticker, or for $15 +tax, you can support us by purchasing a t-shirt that you can proudly wear at your next family get-together.