Rails of the Louisville, St. Louis, and Texas Railroad were laid at Hawesville on June 9, 1888. The first passenger train ran between Owensboro and Stephensport on October 7, 1888, and service between Evansville and Louisville began in April 1889. The rail line later became the Louisville, Henderson, St. Louis Railroad and then part of the L&N system in 1929. The present station was constructed in 1902, with additions made about 1919. During its heyday, six L&N trains stopped there daily. It served as an embarkation point for Army troops during World War I, and President Harry S. Truman spoke there during an election campaign whistlestop on September 30, 1948. Local passenger service ended in the late 1950s.