An Afternoon in Paducah, 8/23/2016

There were some additional things I wanted to see while we were in Paducah, so John and I left our doggy, Sadie, at home in the motor coach where it was cool. Our first stop was the Lloyd Tilghman House & Civil War Museum. It is open April to November, noon to 4 pm, Tuesday through Saturdays, with an admission price of $5/adults. We arrived before it opened so did not have the opportunity to go inside. We did, however, learn a little about Lloyd Tilghman while there.

• Born in Maryland in 1816, he graduated from West Point in 1836 and was a Veteran of the Mexican War (1846-48).
• Tilghman moved to Paducah to serve as Chief Engineer for the New Orleans and Jackson Railroad and lived in this 1852 Greek Revival home until 1861.
• He served as a Brigadier General for the Confederate Army and was killed in battle near Vicksburg in 1863. 

The Civil War Museum focuses on the role of western Kentucky in the Civil War. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.  

Our next stop was the William Clark Market House Museum. This museum is housed in the Historic Market House built in 1905 which has been a center of the community since. It is the third building to be built on this site and was a market until the 1960s when it was converted into a cultural center.

We were quite impressed with the breadth of artifacts of Paducah's past exhibited here. The exhibits are displayed within the beautifully reconstructed woodwork of the 1876 List Drug Store. 

These Pharmacy Show Globes were displayed in the List Pharmacy from 1884 until 1967. And the Bavarian china vanity set (c 1890) was owned by Louis List. 

The scale below was in the List Drug Store from 1930 until 1967 and recorded over 17 million weights during those years (with a built -in counter). The second photo shows the flood levels of the disastrous 1913 flood (54.3') and then the catastrophic 1937 flood (60.8'). 

This stunning silver service was used aboard the USS Paducah (built at a cost of $355,000 in 1904). It served as an active gunboat in WWI and was a gunnery training vessel during WWII. The punch bowl (700 ounces of silver costing $1,390 at the time) was presented to the ship in 1908 by the city of Paducah.

A sculpture of one of Kentucky's native sons, Henry Clay, was carved by a 12 year-old (although it took him three years to complete by age 15), George Theobald. Clay (1777-1852) was a US Senator of the Whig Party and then Speaker of the House (1811) for ten years.

This 1913 LaFrance Fire Truck was Paducah's first. It is chain-driven (similar to a bicycle). 

Below is the surrey where Alben William Barkley, Vice President of the US (1949-1953), proposed to his wife, Dorothy Brower, in 1898. They were married five years later. 

On the second floor is a more extensive exhibit of the life and times of Alben Barkley. He was born about 20 minutes from Paducah in 1877. He practiced law in Paducah beginning in 1901. He served in the House of Representatives beginning in 1913 and as a US senator from 1926 until he was elected Vice President on the Democratic ticket with Harry S. Truman in 1948. He was re-elected to the Senate after serving as Vice President where he served until his death in 1956. 

Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis were born a mere 100 miles apart in Kentucky. This exhibit provided information about the early lives of the President of the United States and the President of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

The Paducah Marine Ways Signal Bell weighs 800 pounds and could be heard up to three miles away. Also shown is a Linotype machine (c 1908).

There were lots of other interesting items here. If you visit Paducah, this is a great place to learn more about the history of the town. For additional information about the museum, check out their website: www.markethousemuseum.com.

Our next stop was Paducah Distilled Spirits (The Moonshine Company) on Jefferson Street. Alas, it was closed as they are replacing their stills. Normally you can get a tour and sample some of their local flavors. Oh well, maybe next time. Website: www.paducahdistilledspririts.com

Next to the closed distillery is the Antique Galleria. Multiple (25) vendors and artists  have a very diverse set of antique, vintage, and other items for sale here. The second floor has a pretty amazing vinyl album collection as well as signed posters of various rock and rolls groups. 

After our walkabout, we decided to grab a bite to eat at Kirchoff's Deli. It was originally a bakery (and still is) that was established in 1873. I had the chicken salad on cranberry walnut bread that was delicious. John's sandwich (a special that day ... Turkey BLT) was huge and we ended up taking half of it home. Of course, you can pick up some delightful items from the bakery to take home as well! Lots of folks were getting meals to go. Great food at very reasonable prices.

Website:  www.kirchoffsbakery.net