Paducah: Frontier To The Atomic Age (KY)

by John E.L. Robertson

One of the last frontier towns east of the Mississippi, Paducah took center stage in the drama of an expanding United States despite a late start and a penchant for independence and self reliance. The Kentucky river city played no small part in the rise of river commerce and its successor, the railroads. From river packets to enriched uranium, its history is marked by victory over disastrous floods and a headlong rush toward a future embracing new technology. Paducah: Frontier to the Atomic Age tells the story of a community torn apart from the start between Chickasaw and American claims, then Confederate and Union invasions. Exploring the expanding city streets and the ever-busy waterfront, readers will meet natives Quintus Quincy Quigley, chronicler of events on the eve of the Civil War; the "Dean," Dr. Robert Gordon Matheson, who revolutionized two-year colleges; and Mrs. Houston "Dolly" McNutt, among the first female mayors in Kentucky. This unique volume also recounts the story of the city's central role in nineteenth-century history, thanks to its strategic location at the mouth of the Tennessee River on the Ohio. At that time, the Civil War struggle for control of border states tested Paducah's loyalty even while the rest of Kentucky fought to remain neutral, and Reconstruction brought new challenges in race relations to a region deeply divided by the ghosts of slavery. In the twentieth century, the city developed tremendously with the advent of new industry and was the adopted home of President Truman's pioneering Vice President Alben Barkley, among the most effective and groundbreaking statesmen to fill that office.

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2002

Reviews

[Jim Nirmaier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished this very interesting read about my beloved hometown of Paducah, KY, located in far western Kentucky in the area known as the Jackson Purchase region of the Bluegrass State. It's about as far away from the state's largest city Louisville, as you can get and still be within the borders of the Commonwealth.

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Back to the review ---

And yes, the aforementioned land area was purchased by THAT Jackson in 1818. The book was written by Mr. John E.L. Robertson, a highly respected Paducah historian who gave up seniority in his original job years ago to teach a few classes in history at the then still Paducah Junior College (PJC), and liked it so much he made a career out of it.

PJC became Paducah Community College (PCC) and entered the University of KY (UK) statewide community college system in the early 1960's. I attended my freshman year of college at PCC and was a proud member of the tennis team before then finishing my college years at Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green.

To my knowledge, Mr. Robertson is still professor emeritus of the University of Kentucky Community College system. He has written several books about Paducah and KY history. As a native Paducahan myself, I've known Mr. Robertson and his family most of my life as a fellow member of Fountain Avenue United Methodist Church for decades while growing up in the River City. As well as subsequently coming home to visit my mother frequently in years past.

Mr. Robertson knows as much, if not more, than any living person about the city of Paducah and its history. His book covers the founding of the community as one of the last frontier towns east of the Mississippi River. The famous American Revolutionary War hero George Rogers Clark was instrumental in the very beginnings of the location and plotting of the original settlement.

From its very beginning, Paducah has played a prominent place in the expansion of the nation's transportation systems; initially westward as a major central port located on the Tennessee River for the country's inland water system of more than 25,000 miles of navigable water; up through the golden era of the Iron Horse as the Illinois Central Railroad (ICR) chose the city as the location for a major manufacturing shop and locomotive roundhouse in 1925, and by 1928 the operation was one of the largest in the world!

The town saw explosive growth beginning in the 1950's with the announcement by the federal government that the area had been selected as the site of a top-secret uranium enrichment/gaseous diffusion plant. This led to decades of economic prosperity, explosive population growth, and steady well-paying jobs. However, the legacy of long-lasting environmental damage and degradation still remains a problem for the community.

I was personally blessed to grow up in Paducah during this extended period of economic growth and stability of the American Middle Class that we are unlikely ever to see equaled again. My neighborhood of Conrad Heights was a picturesque slice of post-war suburban growth, but was still located right on the edge of the "country" to have all the great elements of a young kid's dreams (creeks, woods, orchards, bike trails, a gravel pit, a neighborhood baseball field, etc.).

I obviously have a "soft spot" for the old hometown of Paducah, but I highly recommend the book to not only native Paducahans, but also interested readers of KY history, and of small town America leading up to the early 21st Century!

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reading, my hometown.