Paducah, Kentucky

Paducah is a city in McCracken County, Kentucky at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River. The population was 26,307 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of McCracken County.

Geography

Paducah is located at (37.072226, -88.627436).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 50.5 km² (19.5 mi²). 50.5 km² (19.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.10%) is water.

Paducah is the largest city in the Jackson Purchase Region of Western Kentucky.

History

The story of Pekin (Paducah)

Paducah, originally called Pekin, began around 1815 as a mixed community of Native Americans and white settlers who were attracted to the spot due to its location at the confluence of many waterways.

According to legend, Chief Paduke, most likely a Chickasaw, welcomed the people traveling down the Ohio and Tennessee on flatboats. His wigwam, located on a low bluff at the mouth of Island Creek served as the counsel lodge for his village. The settlers, appreciative of his hospitality, and respectful of his ways, settled across the creek.

The two communities lived in harmony trading goods and services enjoying the novelty of each other's culture. The settlers had brought horses and mules which they used to pull the flatboats upstream to farms, logging camps, trading posts and other settlements along the waterways, establishing a primitive, but thriving economy.

This cultural interaction continued until William Clark, famed leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, arrived on the scene in 1827 with a title deed to the land upon which Pekin sat. Clark was the superintendent of Indian affairs for the Mississippi-Missouri River region. He asked the Chief and the settlers to move along, which they did offering little resistance probably because the deed was issued by the United States Supreme Court. Though the deed cost only $5.00 to process, it carried with it the full authority of the U. S. Government backed by the United States Army.

Clark surveyed his new property and platted the grid for a new town which remains evident to this day. The Chief and his villagers moved to Mississippi allowing Clark to continue with the building of the new city which he named Paducah in honor of the Chief. Upon completion of the platt, Clark sent envoys to Mississippi to invite Chief Paduke back to a ribbon-cutting ceremony but he died of malaria in the boat while making the return trip. The settlers had been allowed to purchase tracts within the new grid but most of them moved on to less developed areas.

Source: The Story of Pekin in the special collections section of the McCracken County Library.

Incorporation, steamboats and railroads

Paducah was incorporated as a town in 1830, and because of the dynamics of the waterways, it offered valuable port facilities for the steam boats that traversed the river system. A factory for making red bricks, and a Foundry for making rail and locomotive components became the neucleus of a thriving River and Rail industrial economy.

After a period of nearly exponential growth, Paducah was chartered as a city in 1856. It became the site of dry dock facilities for steamboats and towboats and thus headquarters for many bargeline companies. Because of its proximity to coalfields further to the east in Kentucky and north in Illinois, Paducah also became an important railway hub for the Illinois Central Railroad, the primary north-south railway link connecting Chicago, Illinois and East St. Louis, IL to the Gulf of Mexico at Mobile, Alabama. The IC system also provided east-west links to Burlington Northern Railroad and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway lines (which later merged to become the BNSF Railway).

Paducah in the Civil War

During the American Civil War on September 6, 1861, forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant captured Paducah, which gave the Union control of the mouth of the Tennessee River. Throughout most of the war, US Colonel Stephen G. Hicks was in charge of Paducah and massive Union supply depots and dock facilities for the gunboats and supply ships that supported Federal forces along the Ohio, Mississippi and Tennessee River systems.

On December 17, 1862, under the terms of General Order No. 11, thirty Jewish families, longtime residents all, were forced from their homes. Cesar Kaskel, a prominent local Jewish businessman, dispatched a telegram to President Lincoln, and met with him, eventually succeeding in getting the order revoked.

On March 25, 1864, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest raided Paducah as part of his campaign Northward from Mississippi into Western Tennessee and Kentucky to re-supply the Confederate forces in the region with recruits, ammunition, medical supplies, horses and mules and to generally upset the Union domination of the regions south of the Ohio river. The raid was successful in terms of the re-supply effort and in intimidating the Union, but Forrest returned south.

Forrest's report: "I drove the enemy to their gunboats and fort; and held the town for ten hours, captured many stores and horses; burned sixty bales of cotton, one steamer, and a drydock, bringing out fifty prisoners."

Later, Forrest, having read in the newspapers that 140 fine horses had escaped the raid, sent Brigadier General Abraham Buford back to Paducah, to get the horses and to keep Union forces busy there while he attacked Fort Pillow.

On April 14, 1864 Buford's men found the horses hidden in a foundry as the newspapers reported. Buford rejoined Forrest with the spoils, leaving the Union in control of Paducah until the end of the War.

The 1937 flood

In 1937, the Ohio River at Paducah rose above its 50-foot flood stage on January 21, cresting at 60.8 feet on February 2 and receding again to 50-feet on February 15. For nearly three weeks, 27,000 residents were forced to flee to higher ground to stay with friends and relatives in higher ground in McCracken County or in other counties. Some shelters were provided by the American Red Cross and local churches. Buildings in downtown Paducah still bear plaques that highlight the high water marks.

With 18 inches of rainfall in 16 days, along with sheets of swiftly moving ice the '37 flood was the worst natural disaster in Paducah's history. Because Paducah's earthen levee was ineffective againt this flood, the United States Army Corps of Engineers was commissioned to build the flood wall that now protects the city from the ravages of flooding.

The Atomic City

In 1948 the Atomic Energy Commission selected Paducah as the site for a new Uranium enrichment Plant. The plant, originally operated by Union Carbide has changed hands several times and is now operated by the United States Enrichment Corporation.

Quilt City, USA

On April 25, 1991, the American Quilter's Society located its Museum - MAQS in downtown Paducah. Each spring, during the Dogwood season, quilt enthusiasts from all over the World flock to Paducah for the Society's annual event. The Quilt Show is one of Paducah's largest events of the year and draws large revenue in tourism. Hotels for miles around the city fill up months in advance of the show.

The Heath shootings

On December 1, 1997, a 14-year old boy named Michael Carneal carried five loaded guns to Heath High School about 10 miles from the city. He shot at a group of fellow students as they were leaving a pre-school prayer group in the school's lobby. Three girls were killed, and five other victims were wounded; one of the wounded was left a paraplegic. Five of the victims were shot in the head, and three were hit in the upper torso. (See School massacre)

Contemporary Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman, a 1981 Heath graduate, performed at the memorial service for the three slain girls.

Annual telethon

Local Chapters of Paducah's Lions Club and WPSD, the local NBC affiliate, hold an annual telethon to raise money for local charities. The money raised over the past 49 years has totaled more than $18,000,000 as of 2005. Talent throughout the years has been very diversified including:

Leonard Nimoy (1967)
"Doc" Severinson (1966)
Betty White (1959)
Hugh Downs (1959)
Bill Anderson (1980)
Carl Perkins (1979)
Tom T. Hall (1976)
Melissa Sue Anderson (1976)
Count Basie (1971)
Barbara Mandrell (several appearances)
Steve Wariner (several appearances)
Peter Marshall (1983)
Ed Begley, Jr. (1984)
Todd Bridges (1984)
Bobby Vee (1988)
JD Sumner and the Stamps (1993)
Terry Mike Jeffrey (several appearances)
Juice Newton (2002)
Pam Tillis (2004)
Ralph Emery (as emcee - many years)
Other various NBC soap opera stars
Players and coaches from the St Louis Cardinals
Patrick Parrish (1990) Dallas Mavericks
Evan Bright (1980), Microsoft Chief Technical Officer

Contemporary Paducah

In August of 2000, Paducah’s "Artist Relocation Program" was started to offer incentives for artists to relocate to its historical Downtown and Lower Town areas. The program has become a national model for using the arts for economic development, and has been awarded the Governors Award in the Arts, The Kentucky Chapter of the American Planning Association Distinguished Planning Award, The American Planning Association National Planning Award, and most recently Kentucky League of Cities' Enterprise Cities Award.

Lower Town, home of the Artist Relocation Program, is the oldest neighborhood in Paducah. As retail commerce moved toward the outskirts of town, efforts were made to preserve the architectural stylings, restoring the historic Victorian structures in the older parts of the city. The program helped that effort and became a catalyst for revitalizing the Downtown area. The Luthor F. Carson Center for the Performing Arts was also constructed.

In September of 2004 plans gelled to bring a hightened awareness of Paducah's musical roots to the forefront of public consciousness, through the redevelopment of the South side of Downtown. The centerpiece of the effort is the renovation of Maggie Steed's Hotel Metropolitan^*, where legends such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Chick Webb's orchestra, B.B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Ike and Tina Turner and other R & B and Blues legends polished their craft along what has become known as the Chitlin' circuit. Using this genre as a foundation, Paducah intends to assert its place in the annals of American music.

See also: Urban planning, Gentrification

Media

Local Media in Paducah is the Western Kentucky News and the Paxton Media Group in Paducah with The Paducah Sun as the most important newpaper in Western Kentucky. As well as the Lone Oak News.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,307 people, 11,825 households, and 6,645 families residing in the city. The population density was 521.4/km² (1,350.2/mi²). There were 13,221 housing units at an average density of 262.0/km² (678.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.78% White, 24.15% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.38% of the population.

There were 11,825 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.8% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.84.

The age distribution is 22.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,137, and the median income for a family was $34,092. Males had a median income of $32,783 versus $21,901 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,417. About 18.0% of families and 22.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.8% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.

People from Paducah

Paducah was the birthplace or residence of the following notable people:

Steven Curtis Chapman, contemporary Christian music star
Irvin S. Cobb, humorist
Clarence "Big House" Gaines, Hall of Fame basketball coach
Fate Marable, jazz pianist and bandleader
Boots Randolph, saxophonist
Hooper, Political Columnist, Founder of both the Individualistic Metaphysical Ministry and About Face Ministries
John Scopes, of Scopes Trial fame, who is buried in Paducah
Marcy Walker, Liza Colby on "All My Children"
Col. JD Wilkes, musician and visual artist, who still lives in Paducah
Vice President Alben W. Barkley spent much of his life in Paducah, and has a lake, an airport and other landmarks named after him in the area. His historic home, Angles, is a private residence. One can visit Whitehaven, a mansion-turned-welcome-center off Interstate 24, where some of his memorabilia is displayed.
Steve Finley, a longtime (and current) Major League Baseball player, was born in West Tennessee, but grew up in Paducah.
Actress Jeri Ryan ( Voyager, Boston Public) spent her teenage years in Paducah.
Tony Stewart, a NASCAR driver, has ties to Paducah.
Dr. Robert H. Grubbs, a 2005 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, grew up in Paducah.
Callie Khouri, who won an Oscar for her screenplay to "Thelma and Louise", lived in Paducah for most of her childhood.
Vernon Carver Rudolph, the founder of Krispy Kreme, was involved with a Broad Street doughnut shop in Paducah purchased by his uncle. Rudolph turned the company’s assets and the rights to a secret yeast-raised doughnut recipe into Krispy Kreme in Winston- Salem,NC. Ironically, Paducah has never had a franchised Krispy Kreme. Local doughnut shops have served similar doughnuts in Paducah since World War II.
Confederate General Lloyd Tilghman lived in Paducah for a number of years. The only public high school within the city limits, Paducah Tilghman High School is named in honor of General Tilghman's wife (Augusta Tilghman).

External links

Paducah, Kentucky | School massacres in the United States