TDG Ep260 From 1000 AD to the Acorn Intersection: The Full Evansville Story

Send us Fan MailAre you an Evansville native or just passing through? Tell us your favorite (or least favorite) thing about the city in the comments! Make sure to subscribe, share this episode, and hit the notification bell so you never miss a deep dive into history.Welcome to another "thrilling" episode of The Days, where we are heading to the banks of the Ohio River to explore the story of Evansville, Indiana. This city has been shaped by ancient cultures, frontier ambitions, river trade, industrial growth, and a level of resilience that is frankly "fucked." Whether you know it as a hard-working Midwestern hub or just a place with "really bad pollution," the history of Evansville begins long before it even had a name. We start with the Angel Mounds, a major center of trade and culture occupied from 1000 AD to 1450 AD—centuries before Europeans arrived. Then, we move into the 1800s, tracing the arrival of Hugh McGarry Jr. and the eventual naming of the city after Colonel Robert M. Evans, a man who, as it turns out, wasn't even from here. The episode dives deep into the industrial boom that turned Evansville into a commercial powerhouse. We discuss the founding of Old National Bank in 1834, the rise of the "Lumber Barons" like John Augustus Reitz, and the city's unlikely title as the "Cigar Capital of the World" in the early 1900s. Did you know Barry Plastics now sits in a former factory that hand-cranked 100 million cigars a year? Finally, we cover Evansville’s massive contribution to World War II. During the war, 75% of local factories held military contracts, and the Evansville shipyard became the world’s largest inland producer of ocean-going ships, turning out 167 LSTs. We wrap up with the legends of the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival—the second largest street festival in the U.S.—and a heated debate over the new "Acorn" intersection at the Lloyd and St. Joe. TIMELINE : 00:00 - Introduction to the history of Evansville 03:00 - Angel Mounds and ancient Native American trade 06:15 - 1812: Hugh McGarry Jr. and the first homestead 11:20 - Who was Colonel Robert M. Evans? 14:40 - The "Lumber Barons" and the Reitz Home 29:20 - Cigars and Brewing: The 1900s industrial boom 34:00 - Evansville's massive role in World War II 40:00 - The West Side Nut Club and the Fall Festival history 55:00 - The controversial "Acorn" intersection plans[The Days Grimm Podcast Links]- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheDaysGrimm- Our link tree: linktr.ee/Thedaysgrimm- GoFundMe account for The Days Grimm: https://gofund.me/02527e7c [The Days Grimm is brought to you by]Sadness & ADHD (non-medicated)