P for A-Z Challenge

P-Paducah, Kentucky

 

 

Paducah was originally called Pekin around 1815 and was a mixed community of Native Americans and white settlers .The legend is that Chief Paduke welcomed the people traveling down the Ohio and Tennessee river on flatboats. That brought growth and goods to his community but along came the Lewis and Clark Expedition with a title deed to the land that Pekin sat on and they were asked to leave. Perhaps a common history but a sad one I think, The name was then changed to Paducah in honor of the chief.

 

 

 The area has mostly mild temperatures but in 1937 the Ohio River at Paducah rose above the 50-foot flood stage and flooded the community forcing 27,000 residents to flee to higher ground. Some of the buildings downtown still bear plaques that show the high water marks.

I found this surprising.......

 

 In 1950 Paducah was selected as the site for a new uranium enrichment plant and construction began in 1951 and was completed in 1952. The DOE is still the owner of this plant but I could not find out any details about it....like if it is still active and etc.





You will never guess what the main attraction in Paducah is.........

The National Quilt Museum

 On April 25, 1991, The National Quilt Museum opened in downtown Paducah. The Museum is a cultural destination that brings a worldwide audience of  over 40,000 quilters and art enthusiasts to the Paducah area on an annual basis. The Museum features professional quilt and fiber art exhibits that are rotated throughout the year.

Paducah also has a one of a kind welcome center. 

 

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A restored 1860s Southern mansion called "Whitehaven".

 

This is another unusual site.....

In 1985, sculptor Peter Toth hand chiseled a 56,000 pound red oak into “Wacinton” To Have Understanding—a monument to the Chickasaw Indians who lived and hunted in the area until the Jackson Purchase.
Peter Toth is a Hungarian emigrant whose family escaped from Hungary just before the Communist takeover in 1956,
to read more about him and his works go here....

As you drive through the town you will be amazed at all the beautiful murals that give honor to the vast history of the area....

 

 



 

 

Well, there is one more one of a kind spots you can visit before leaving here....

 

Some people call it art, some people call it a toyland and then there are some that simply call it junk.....

 

 

 

 

 



A throw back to the old by-gone tacky roadside stops you could find in the 1940-1960. There is a old Gulf gas station and store and over 3000 toys here at Hillbilly Gardens.

 

 

 

Happy Trails