How Owensville began, and where its name came from
When was Owensville founded?
1817
Owensville dates its founding to 1817 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1850.
First census: 235 in 18502020 census: 1,338209 years
How did Owensville get its name?
It is unknown as to whether the town was named for Robert Dale Owen, namesake of nearby Dale, Indiana, Col. Abraham Owen, namesake of Owensboro, Kentucky and both Owen County, Indiana and Owen County, Kentucky.
How historic is Owensville?
B+
More historic than 68% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Owensville is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Owensville’s overall grade.
Indiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Indiana town has 7.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Owensville’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (22% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.3 points). Two sources give 1817.
Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Owensville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Owensville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1901Princeton sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Owensville.
Every building
Owensville, building by building, 1895–1907
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1895Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Owensville was established in 1817 by Phillip Briscoe, when he filed the town plat consisting of 52 parcels and five out-parcels. It is unknown as to whether the town was named for Robert Dale Owen, namesake of nearby Dale, Indiana , Col. Abraham Owen, namesake of Owensboro, Kentucky and both Owen County, Indiana and Owen County, Kentucky. A fire in 1876 destroyed many of the wood framed businesses on the eastern side of the town square.
On March 18, 1925, the Tri-State Tornado struck just northwest of the town, killing nine people.
Strickland, but later was dissolved. The next congregation was the Salem church, at Owensville, constituted by Elders William Planks and James Mootry. A church was soon built near Owensville, and in 1840 the society was moved into Owensville, where a frame church was erected, Providence . church, eleven miles southeast of Princeton, was formed in 1822. New Salem church was organized twelve miles north of Princeton in 1838. Other Baptist churches, here and there over the county, were soon organized.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
for a school house. Here there soon arose a little log cabin dedicated to the cause of education. The first school house in Gibson county was built in the Robb settlement, in White river township, about 1807. In 1808 another was built near where Owensville now stands. As the settlements became more numerous, the little log school houses grew in number.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Owensville, 1817 to 1901
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Grew from 235 people in 1850 to 1,338 in 2020, 5 times over.
18 censuses, 1850–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Owensville’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Owensville’s history
What year was Owensville founded?
In 1817, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Owensville’s post office opened in 1818, and the census of 1850 counted 235 people here.
How does Owensville rank for history?
Owensville is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Owensville?
28% of Owensville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.3 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1968.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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