Owensboro is full of rich history, and we wanted to highlight a couple of the super cool churches you should check out during your next visit. Coming from two totally different backgrounds with different backstories, these two churches are historic to our city and well worth checking out while you’re here!
Fourth Street Baptist Church is one of the most historic churches in Kentucky. Not only has it been around for over 190 years, it’s also regarded as Daviess County’s oldest Black church. This church received a Historical Marker in 2020, so you can read about its history on a plaque in front of its location.
The history behind Fourth Street Baptist is absolutely fascinating. As the plaque outside reads, “In 1830, a Baptist church began in a log cabin-house, which was provided for Black worshipers by Philip Thompson. The congregation was first led by Black Baptist Minister Oliver Potts. The Black Baptist Church was founded after the Civil War & in 1866 was named Fourth Street Baptist Church. It is the oldest African American church in Daviess County.”
The Black congregation originally attended church services at First Baptist Church but, after a while, the congregation grew to the point of needing its own space. Fourth Street Baptist is currently located at 821 W. 4th Street.
The other church on our list is St. Stephen Cathedral, which is widely known for its amazing architecture. It also serves as the Diocese of Owensboro for the tens of thousands of Catholics who live here.
St. Stephen was established in 1839 as the first parish in Owensboro. The present church was built in 1924 and is currently the place of worship for around 620 households.
The architectural style of St. Stephen is Italiante and consists mainly of red brick and stone. Located at 610 Locust Street, the primary cathedral and its surrounding buildings span almost an entire block all the way around. It’s very cool to see the cathedral up close and personal, and it’s so big, you can’t miss it!