Paducah in McCracken County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

Paducah's River Industry

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 14, 2011

1. Paducah's River Industry was the city's life blood. Marker

Inscription. Paducah's river industry was the city's lifeblood. Steamboats and tobacco were critical to the area's economy in the late 1880's. Mule-drawn transfer wagons moved hogshead barrels of tobacco that weighed around 1,600 pounds each. Nearly 20,000 barrels were stored annually in the area for two to three years. Steamboats carried mixed cargo and passengers. Paducah was a major port and distribution center because of its strategic location at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers and close proximity to the Mississippi and Cumberland Rivers. (From an 1890's photograph)

Erected by Paducah~McCracken County Riverport Authority.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.

Location. 37° 5.314′ N, 88° 35.659′ W. Marker is in Paducah, Kentucky, in McCracken County. It is on North Water Street. This mural is between Union Gen. U.S. Grant and the churches. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Paducah KY 42001, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s Jackson Purchase.

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It is also in the American Midwest,

in the South,

in the Upper South,

and in the Ohio River Valley.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Union Gen. U.S. Grant (here, next to this marker); Paducah's Architecture (here, next to this marker); "Market" (a few steps from this marker); Paducah 1873 "Bird's Eye View" (a few steps from this marker); The August 8th Emancipation Celebration at Stuart Nelson Park (a few steps from this marker); Robert S. Davis (a few steps from this marker); George Rogers Clark (a few steps from this marker); Fire Station #5 at 17th and Broadway (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Paducah.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 14, 2011

2. Paducah's River Industry was the city's life blood. Marker

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 14, 2011

3. Paducah's River Industry was the city's life blood. Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on September 25, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2011, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 671 times since then and 15 times this year. Last updated on September 24, 2023, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 21, 2011, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.