57 topographic sheets cover 26 settlements here, and 11 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 National Register listings published here · the county-history sources tell 1 story and name 9 people · people the book names include Biographical Magness J. Carxahax (Washington Township, 1915) · M.Vdi.Son Tow.Nsii 11' (Barr Township, 1915) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Among them: Black Oak. These passages come from the identified county-history source books. Each inset names its own source and opens the exact section it comes from.
Cannelbnrg is an incorporated town with a population cif three luuitlret^l, by the census of I'JlD. It s[)rang into existence on acc(_junt of the e.\tensi\e operations of the iJuckeye Cannel-Coal C_'ompan\' in the early se\'- enties. The town w.as laid out by .\. J. Shot well, I. ( '. Harris and Anthon\- .\loois, who composed ihe co,-|l c,im])any.
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beulah A. M. E. Church & Dunbar School | building | 2026 | 100012760 | |
 | Magnus J. Carnahan House | building | 1991 | 91001167 |
 | Daviess County Courthouse | building | 2008 | 08000916 |
 | Thomas Faith House | building | 1994 | 94000227 |
 | Robert C. Graham House | building | 1983 | 83000120 |
 | Jefferson Elementary School | building | 1997 | 97000597 |
 | McCall Family Farmstead | district | 2013 | 13000721 |
 | Dr. John A. Scudder House | building | 1995 | 95001104 |
 | Union Church and Cemetery, Old | building | 2005 | 05000605 |
 | Washington Commercial Historic District | district | 1990 | 90001780 |
 | Dr Nelson Wilson House | building | 2008 | 08000566 |
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 9 of them, burning about 27 acres. None started naturally and 1 was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. One of them was set deliberately.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 September 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 18 September 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 5.0 acres | Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 13 April 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3.0 acres | Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 19 March 2005 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 28 February 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 21 November 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 2.0 acres | Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 4 March 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 9 March 2005 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 317 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 39 injuries and about $38,864,500 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 153 |
| Hail | 60 |
| Flood | 40 |
| Flash Flood | 35 |
| Tornado | 27 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2005 | Tornado (F3) | Washington | 31 hurt, $11,600,000 | An F3 tornado touched down near Washington, Indiana on the afternoon of 15 November 2005, and proceeded northeast for 12 miles, lifting at Crane Naval Base in Martin County. The tornado was up to 1/4 mile wide at times. The worst damage occurred 4 miles northeast of Montgomery. K&K Industries sits at that site. Abe Knepp, the owner, is also a chaplain for Daviess County Emergency Management, and was monitoring law enforcement radio traffic while at work. His decision to send his 120 employees home early likely saved several lives, as the plant was destroyed by the tornado 30 minutes after it was cleared. 123 homes and 20 businesses sustained damage in Daviess County. Despite the amount of damage, only one of the 31 reported injuries was considered serious. |
| June 1990 | Tornado (F4) | not stated | 6 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | 1 hurt, $300,000 | Widespread straight line wind damage occurred throughout Daviess County. One of the damaged strcutures was a home that was still being rebuilt from the 15 November 2005 tornado in the area. Near West Boggs Lake, three campers were rolled by the high winds. One person inside one of the campers was rushed to the hospital with head injuries. |
| April 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Washington | 1 hurt, $5,000 | Thunderstorms brought down trees and power lines in Glendale Wildlife Area. Tree fell on camper causing slight injury. |
| June 2008 | Flood | Plainville | $20,000,000 | Flooding occurred along the White River in Daviess County, including near Edwardsport, due to heavy rain and a breach in a levee. A levee just downstream of Elnora blew out and sandbags were scattered more than a half mile downstream. |
| March 2025 | Tornado (EF1) | Hudsonville | $800,000 | The tornado had peaked at EF2 intensity when first tracking through Gibson County and Pike County in far southwestern Indiana, before crossing the East Fork White River and continuing roughly the last half of its overall track within Daviess County and Martin County. The tornado skipped northeast through these two counties, ending south-southwest of the Indian Springs community. The most significant damage was to a farm at County Road 100 South and County Road 1025 East in Daviess County, which sustained damage consistent with winds around 100 mph. Several metal farm outbuildings were damaged, a piece of a wooden 2-by-4 beam was thrown southeast and driven through the windshield of a semi truck, and two large grain bins were completely destroyed when torn apart, with their debris thrown at least a mile northeast.||Other portions of the tornado's path displayed mainly snapped and uprooted trees, and minor superficial home damage to roofs and siding. Widespread straight line wind damage also occurred to the west and east of the tornado's circulation from thunderstorm outflow winds and the forward flank downdraft to the east of tornado path. This straight line damage continued through Loogootee. The tornado continued further into central Martin County, producing sporadic damage in rural areas northeast of Loogootee, before doing more significant damage to two farmsteads near Killion Mill Road and additional damage near Wadsworth Lane. Maximum winds were estimated at 110 mph for this Daviess-Martin County segment of the tornado's track. |
| June 2023 | Tornado (EF1) | Odon | $300,000 | A supercell thunderstorm spawned this second tornado of the day just northeast of the intersection of County Roads 1100 East and 1575 North. The weak tornado then tracked in an east to east-southeasterly direction occasionally downing trees. Scores of hardwood trees were snapped, many at mid trunk, on a hilltop just west of US Highway 231. The tornado continued across the highway and soon after into northwestern Martin County, before ending within the grounds of Crane Naval Support Activity about one mile west-southwest of the southwest corner of Lake Greenwood. |
| April 2025 | Flash Flood | Thomas | $250,000 | Numerous roads closed due to flash flooding. US 231 had water flowing over it. River flooding later in the week would inundate dozens of structures. |
| June 1990 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1971 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1970 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Elnora | $200,000 | Breaches in sections of the levee just south of Elnora and heavy rain caused flash flooding in Daviess County. Extensive crop flooding occurred along with flooding that occurred to houses. |
| May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Epsom | $100,000 | Thunderstorm downburst winds breached the wall of a barn, dislodging the remaining walls and blowing them outward from the concrete block foundation, with roofing sections then carried by the wind. |
| January 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Epsom | $100,000 | Cornelius Farms lost a machine shed containing combines, a planter, a bean drill, and other farm equipment. Debris was strewn out into a field east of the farm. |
| November 2013 | Tornado (EF2) | Maysville | $100,000 | At 1520EST, this EF-2 tornado touched down 2.8 miles west-southwest of Washington. The tornado moved into the southwest side of Washington, with property damage in the city of Washington. An entire home was knocked off of its foundation near the intersection of Fourth and Sycamore Streets. The tornado lifted at 1523EST in Washington. |
| April 2006 | Flash Flood | Washington | $100,000 | Portions of Washington were flooded with several feet of water. At least 30 people required evacuation from their homes by fire department personnel with boats. |
| March 2006 | Flood | Plainville | $100,000 | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Flood | Hudsonville | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Washington | $100,000 | no account filed |
| March 2017 | Tornado (EF2) | Black Oak | $65,000 | This EF-2 tornado was on the ground intermittently throughout the 1.52 mile path. The maximum wind associated with this tornado was approximately 125 mph. Early on, a swath of trees were snapped at elevated heights. Later, two very large trees were snapped and a metal power line truss collapsed. |
| April 2017 | Tornado (EF1) | Cannelburg | $65,000 | A brief EF1 tornado occurred shortly after 6 PM EDT, east of the city of Washington, near Cannelburg in Daviess County, Indiana, about 50 miles northeast of Evansville.||The tornado caused roof damage to a home, destroyed two barns and two outbuildings, a silo, and snapped two wooden power poles. No injuries or fatalities were reported. |
| January 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Graham | $50,000 | A house and turkey barns were destroyed in this location due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. Only one wall of the house was left standing. |
| March 2011 | Flash Flood | Maysville | $50,000 | An emergency management official reported a break on the Unit 8 Bennington levee on the White River, northwest of Washington. At least 49 homes, around U.S. Highways 150 and 50 near Maysville, in Daviess County were evacuated and about 8,000 acres were under water. |
| May 2002 | Flash Flood | Odon | $50,000 | Water across state road 58 |
| May 2002 | Flash Flood | Washington | $50,000 | Water covered SR 257 |
| May 2002 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Washington | $40,000 | Straight line wind damage to trees was observed through eastern Daviess County. There was a localized area of more intense damage southwest of Washington. |
| March 2017 | Tornado (EF2) | South Washington | $40,000 | The parent storm was moving southeast at 60 mph through southwest Daviess County, with a brief spin-up occurring along the line. This EF-2 tornado, with winds of approximately 113 mph, did damage that included walls blown out of a garage that was attached to a home, along with the destruction of a pole barn. |
| March 2017 | Tornado (EF1) | Cannelburg | $35,000 | This EF-1 tornado, with winds estimated at 110 mph, produced damage at this location that included moving an unattached, not anchored garage off it's foundation a few feet. Also, a camper was lifted and blown approximately 30 yards, hitting the house and then destroyed. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Epsom | $30,000 | A roof was blown off of a machine shed, and grain bins were destroyed on a farm near Epsom. |
| April 2025 | Flash Flood | Odon | $25,000 | Water was flowing through a field onto a farm. Rainfall reports within the warning were as high as 4 inches. |
| July 2025 | Flash Flood | Washington | $25,000 | Photos and videos showed street and parking lot flooding that encroached on homes. This includes State Rd 57 from E National Highway to Blockade St and SE 3rd St in downtown Washington. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Black Oak | $25,000 | Half of a hog barn was removed due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts near County Roads 100 South and 350 East. |
| September 2002 | Tornado (F2) | Washington | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cannelburg | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1986 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| January 1976 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1973 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 1969 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| December 1967 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| October 1967 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 1959 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| February 1956 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Washington | $20,000 | Roof damage was reported in downtown Washington due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. One of the roofs was only 2 years old and debris from it flew three blocks. Some damage to old trees and structurally unsound out-buildings and canopys were also noted. Thunderstorm wind damage was observed from Southwest 5th Street to Northeast 21st Street. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Washington | $20,000 | A 65 to 70 mph thunderstorm wind gust was reported in this location with a wall cloud. Shingles were also reported to be blown off homes. |
| February 2008 | Flood | Plainville | $20,000 | Flooding occurred along the White River in Daviess County due to heavy rain and snow melt. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainville | $20,000 | A garage roof was removed, and a chimney and home roof were damaged. |
| April 1998 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $20,000 | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cornettsville | $18,000 | The Washington Times-Herald reported a barn, built in 1938, was destroyed and trees were downed at 6764N County Road 200E due to thunderstorm wind gusts. A path of downed corn was also noted approximately a mile north of location of the destroyed barn. Downed limbs were also reported throughout the area. |
| March 2008 | Flood | Plainville | $15,000 | Flooding occurred along the White River in western Daviess County due to heavy rain. Flooding continued until April 8th at 1630. |
| March 2008 | Flood | Plainville | $15,000 | Flooding occurred along the White River in western Daviess County due to heavy rain and snow melt. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainville | $15,000 | A tree fell on a house in Plainville and caused roof and gutter damage. Another tree fell on a garage damaging two sides of the building. This damage was due to damaging thunderstorm winds. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $15,000 | 58 mph winds were recorded at Oden. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across the county. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Washington | $15,000 | A 60 mph wind gust was reported at Washington where several trees and power lines were blown down. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Odon | $13,000 | Trees and power lines were downed throughout the northern half of the county due to thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| January 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Washington | $12,000 | Damaging thunderstorm winds caused a semi truck to overturn on State Route 57. |
| June 2025 | Flash Flood | Elnora | $10,000 | Rainfall, reported as great as 5.19 inches south of Plainville, with bias-corrected radar estimates approaching 7.00 inches between Plainville and Odon, produced flash flooding. Immediately west of the intersection of Indiana Route 58 and County Road 900 East in Odon, flowing water rose up to a car wash and over a gas station parking lot. |
| August 2025 | Flash Flood | Black Oak | $10,000 | A picture indicated flooding along US Highway 50 west of Montgomery. The nearest rainfall report was 2.59 inches, but radar estimates were higher at this location. |
| March 2024 | Flash Flood | Maysville | $10,000 | Water noted flowing over a bridge within Washington. |
| February 2019 | Flash Flood | Odon | $10,000 | A vehicle was observed in the water with water coming into the vehicle due to flash flooding from heavy rainfall. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 6 workings inside this county. 2 still produce and 4 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Iron | 4 |
| Stone | 1 |
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daviess County Highway Dept. | Stone | Producer | ||
| Mize Dredge | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | Occurrence | ||
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | Occurrence | ||
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | Occurrence | ||
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | Occurrence |
History of Knox and Daviess County, Indiana : from the Earliest Time to the Present; with Biographical Sketches, Reminiscences, Notes, Etc. ; Together with an Extended History of the Colonial Days of Vincennes, and Its Progress Down to the Formation of the State Government devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 9 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
| Shape and position in the county | Township | Settlements in it | Length | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barr Township | Black Oak, Cannelburg, Montgomery | 7,722 words | 9 | |
| Bogard Township | Cornettsville, Epsom | 6,788 words | 2 | |
| Elmore Township | Elnora | 2,616 words | 1 | |
| Harrison Township | Glendale, Hudsonville, Waco | 12,801 words | 4 | |
| Madison Township | Farlen, Odon | 9,387 words | 1 | |
| Reeve Township | Alfordsville, Corning, Pennyville | 321 words | 0 | |
| Steele Township | Capehart, Plainville | 2,804 words | 3 | |
| Veale Township | Cumback, Sandy Hook | 1,083 words | 1 | |
| Washington Township | Graham, Jordan, Lettsville, Maysville, South Washington, Thomas, Washington | 136,139 words | 32 |
2 books written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 27 chapters in all. Every chapter is public domain, machine-read from the scan and reproduced complete. A chapter already given under one of the county's towns is not repeated in this list.
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| Chapter with an unread heading (no. 1 of those read) | 3,498 words |
| Chapter 2 (1 of 2 so headed) | 4,490 words |
| Chapter 3 | 6,892 words |
| Chapter 4 (1 of 2 so headed) | 2,540 words |
| Chapter 5 (1 of 2 so headed) | 1,570 words |
| Chapter 7 | 5,438 words |
| Chapter 8 (1 of 2 so headed) | 13,229 words |
| Chapter 9 | 8,287 words |
| Chapter 10 | 16,028 words in 2 parts |
| Chapter 11 | 5,690 words |
| Chapter 12 | 6,211 words |
| Biographical sketches | 105,242 words in 7 parts |
| Chapter 2 (2 of 2 so headed) | 3,582 words |
| Chapter 4 (2 of 2 so headed) | 6,711 words |
| Chapter 5 (2 of 2 so headed) | 5,657 words |
| Chapter 6 | 24,185 words in 2 parts |
| Chapter 8 (2 of 2 so headed) | 2,965 words |
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1: Related State History | 11,047 words |
| Chapter 2: Rilvsical Axd Geological Fkatukks | 641 words |
| Chapter 3: Early Settlement of Daviess County | 9,574 words |
| Chapter with an unread heading (no. 4 of those read) | 11,519 words |
| Chapter 8: Agriculture and Statistics | 1,657 words |
| Chapter 9: The "rnilekguounl) Kaii.uoal)" in Daviess County | 4,390 words |
| Chapter 10 | 14,051 words |
| Chapter with an unread heading (no. 8 of those read) | 10,215 words |
| Secret Societies | 4,242 words |
| Biographical sketches | 103,131 words in 7 parts |
Everyone History of Knox and Daviess County, Indiana : from the Earliest Time to the Present; with Biographical Sketches, Reminiscences, Notes, Etc. ; Together with an Extended History of the Colonial Days of Vincennes, and Its Progress Down to the Formation of the State Government stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1886.
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
Reeve township · 47553 · On East Fork Sugar Creek · Alfordsville quadrangle
12 sheets, 1956 to 1990
Steele township · 47501 · Near Harbstreit Hill · Washington quadrangle
15 sheets, 1944 to 1986
Washington township · 47501 · On Hawkins Creek · Washington quadrangle
15 sheets, 1944 to 1986
Block