This county enjoys distinction of being the only county in the state from which Kentucky can be reached without crossing the Ohio River; this is at Green River Island, a few minutes' walk from the city of Evansville. Although it is north of the river and generally supposed to be part of Indiana, it is part of the state of Kentucky. The matter has been a subject of dispute between the two states. The interesting history was caused by a peculiar change in the course of the Ohio River.

Vanderburgh is one of the southernmost counties, with a total area of 283 square miles divided into eight townships. The only incorporated municipality is the city of Evansville. The total county population was 58,809 in 1890; 1900, 71,769; 1910, 77,438; 1920, 92,293; 1930, 113,320.

Evansville, with a population of 102,249 is located on the Ohio River 195 miles west and south of Louisville, Kentucky. River facilities and the several main railroads make this an important point of transportation.

The most notable of its manufactures is furniture. Some of the other products are auto bodies, auto trucks, agricultural implements, bakery products, bottle caps and sealing devices, breakfast foods, brick and tile, brooms, building material, tractors, castings, cigars, clothing, refrigerators, flour, gas engines, bottles, infant food, pottery, steam shovels, stoves, gas ranges, and tools.

The federal census of 1935 listed 172 manufacturing establishments, employing 12,792 wage earners. These earned $11,194,389. The value of the products was $80,607,030.

Evansville has been favored by nature as to location and resources. This fact has been instrumental in drawing more and more of the larger financial interests. The Ohio River offers great assets for water supply and low transportation costs. There are 150 coalmines within a radius of fifty miles.

The city is one of the recognized are centers in the state. Unusual is the Temple of Fine Arts. At its entrance is the Rotary Civic Award, a bronze tablet carrying the names of citizens who have given conspicuous service to the city. Within the temple is a museum and art gallery housing the John Foster collection of Mexican Arts and a statue of St. George presented by Lorado Taft. The outstanding cultural organization, The Society of Fine Arts and History, was organized in 1926.

Another historical marker is the tablet on Main Street on the site of the first log cabin in Evansville, which was built by Hugh McGary in 1812. In his cabin were held the first court and first religious services. A memorial coliseum of Gothic beauty features the bronze groups, known as "Spirit of 1861" and "Spirit of 1916." In the coliseum also there is a tablet to James Bethal Gresham, the first American soldier killed in France during the World War, and the men of Vanderburgh County who lost their lives in that war. Among the other memorials is the Vanderburgh County World War Memorial Stone on Court Street; Rathbone Memorial Home with a tablet to the memory of Douglas Boviele, the gold star hero of the World War; a tablet in the yard of the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church to Judson McGrew.

Evansville has a number of distinguished residences. One is the home of Conrad Baker, former Governor of Indiana. The city has twenty-five grade and four high schools. The county library here contains 184,724 volumes. Included in the recreational system are fourteen parks covering an area of 652 acres. The main ones are Willard and Sunset Park located along the riverfront.

This, the fourth largest city in the state, has bank resources of about $60,000,000. It has a municipally owned water works. Some of the city's buildings are outstanding, including the Courthouse; Masonic Temple; Post Office, of Gothic style, built in 1872; a home of the Royal Order of Moose, of Greek classic style, an old landmark, built in 1839.

The city has nearly one hundred churches, some of them of distinctive beauty. Among these are the Trinity Methodist Episcopal, St. Paul's Episcopal, and St. Boniface Roman Catholic.

The Southern Hospital for the Insane, "Woodmere," was the only one of the three "additional hospitals" whose location was fixed by the Legislature. The law approved March 7, 1883, stated that one of these should be located at or near Evansville. The site purchased on January 3, 1884, is four miles east of the city. The original building is an arrangement of wings radiating from the central block. Additional wings have been added from time to time. The first patients were admitted October 30, 1890. The hospital receives patients from what is known as the southern district for the insane, composed of the sixteen counties that form the southwestern part of the state.

It is not generally known that Kentucky can be reached from Indiana without some means of crossing the Ohio River. To do so, however, requires but a few minutes walk form Evansville.

Green River Island, a part of the State of Kentucky, is taxed by Henderson County. It adjoins Vanderburgh County and by reason of its being north of the Ohio River is generally credited with being Indiana territory. The island contains approximately 2,800 acres of bottomland and is about seven miles long and a mile wide at the widest point.

It has an interesting history, in that it was created by a peculiar change in the course of the Ohio River and has been the subject of dispute between the States of Indiana and Kentucky.

Many years ago the Ohio, which, in the region of the mouth of Green River, has always had a tendency to cut into the Kentucky shore during flood times, gradually wore a new channel for a distance of six or seven miles through eh northern part of Henderson County, Kentucky, deserting the original bed along a par of the southern border of Vanderburgh County. The new channel cut into the State of Kentucky at a point about a mile below the mouth of Green River and emerged again into the original bed about a mile above the Port of Evansville. The old bed became a slough and filled with water only at flood times.

After this change in the river channel a question arose as to whether Indiana or Kentucky should rule the island formed by the old and new beds. The contention grew, Indiana claiming, since the river was the dividing line between the two states that she had gained so much territory by the change in the river's course, while the Blue Grass State was reluctant to give up the land, and insisted that it was hers originally, and should remain so. The question dragged on for several years until the two states finally agreed that the original riverbed was properly the dividing line and, in legal parlance, an "agreed" suit was filed in the federal courts to legally establish the boundary that had been in question.

The question dragged along for several years until a suit was commenced in the Supreme Court of the United States (Indiana vs. Kentucky, 136 U.S. 479) to establish the boundary. At that time a commissioner came from Washington to Evansville to take testimony which in printed form is now part of the records in the case now on file in Washington, D.C., i.e., Report of W. A. Ketcham, Attorney General, Indiana, 1897-98, page 23.

An old river pilot, who had steamboated on this part of the Ohio for years, was produced and testified that he had piloted boats on the river when it flowed in its old bed on the north side of the island. His testimony satisfied the engineer that the slough was the original riverbed and as such should remain the boundary between the two states.

This hearing was held about thirty years ago, in the office of United State Commissioner Wartmann, the present commissioner, who was then young in his career as Clerk of the United States District Court at Evansville.

After the decision of the federal agent a new survey was run on the north side of the old bed and the line between the only part of the two states that join, is now fixed by small stone markers, on one side of which is chiseled the word Indiana and on the opposite side Kentucky.

Most of the island is owned by Henderson, Kentucky, people. Despite the officially established boundaries, complications not infrequently arise. Recently what proved to be an accidental shooting occurred on the island. The police of this city were notified and. For purposes of investigation, took the man who did the shooting into custody. Not until after he had been held an hour or more did it develop that the shooting had taken place in Kentucky. The man arrested was about to be turned over to Henderson authorities when it was satisfactorily proved the shooting was accidental.

Henderson County seldom needs to give attention to the island and it has gradually taken on an atmosphere of being a little province of its own.

Among personages of historical significance to the county have been Robert Evans, for whom the city was named, and the Walker family. One of the latter of this clan became mayor of Evansville. One of the county's more recent favorite, though adopted, sons was John W. Spencer, who had a noted legal career and became a judge of the Supreme Court of Indiana. Posey T. Klime, at present a judge for the state Appellate Court, is from Evansville.

Vanderburgh is one of the state's largest manufacturing counties. It had a total of 181 manufacturing establishments, according to 1935 federal census figures. A total of 13,221 wage earners were employed on payrolls totaling $11,757,970. The total value of the manufactured products was $82,104,354.

The county 1,733 farms averaging 70.4 acres each. Their value was $9,190,828. A total of 25,781 head of livestock was reported.

The total county tax valuation as of 1936 was $138,817,050.