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

Union Labor

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 14, 2011

1. Union Labor Marker

Inscription. Union labor helped build Paducah, including the flood wall on which this mural appears. Unions in construction, business, industry and government helped create a large middle class in Western KY especially after World War II. The region's earliest unions date to the 19th century. In 1892, the American Federation of Labor chartered the Paducah Central Labor Council, an association of local unions. The next year, the CLC, the ancestor of the Western KY Area Council, AFL-CIO, sponsored the city's first Labor Day Parade, which became the annual end-of-summer procession featured on this mural. It is one of the oldest Labor Day parades in the country and for several years was the official KY State AFL-CIO Labor Day celebration. W.C. Young, a national labor an civil rights leader, appears above the "I" on the banner along with other local labor leaders. The Area Council during the presidency of Glenn Dowdy approved the mural.

Erected by Sponsored by Working Men and Women of Western Kentucky Area Labor Council AFL/CIO and Affiliated International Unions.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Labor Unions. A significant historical year for this entry is 1892.

Location. 37° 5.182′ N, 88° 35.578′ W. Marker is in

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Paducah, Kentucky, in McCracken County. It is on South Water Street south of Kentucky Avenue, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 200 S Water St, Paducah KY 42003, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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

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: Western Baptist Hospital (here, next to this marker); A Century of Library Service 1904-2004 (here, next to this marker); Riverside Hospital at Fort Anderson (a few steps from this marker); Paducah Coca-Cola Bottling Company (a few steps from this marker); U.S. Marine Hospital Service (a few steps from this marker); "Evening Roll Call" (a few steps from this marker); Paducah's Railroad Heritage (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Welcome to the Atomic City (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Paducah.

Also see . . . The Paducah Wall to Wall Floodwall Mural Projectt. Renowned artist Robert Dafford and his team of muralists capture Paducah’s rich history in paintings on the city’s floodwall overlooking the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. (Submitted on October 22, 2011.)

Labor Day Parade "Solidarity" image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 14, 2011

2. Labor Day Parade "Solidarity"

We will be heard. Western Kentucky Area Council.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, September 14, 2011

3. Union Labor Marker

Between Western Baptist Hospital and A Century of Library Service 1904-2004.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 18, 2011, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 811 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 18, 2011, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.