A Paducah museum with local and national treasures

I hadn’t planned to visit the William Clark Market House Museum in Paducah, Kentucky until I had breakfast at Kirchhoff’s Bakery, just across the street.

The bakery has been in business since 1873, when Franz Kirchhoff, a young Prussian immigrant, and his wife, Hannah Baumer, opened the original bakery in a small building in downtown Paducah.

After a delicious breakfast, I spied a sign for the museum.

The museum honors William Clark, of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804, who founded Paducah, which he named in honor of the Paducah Indians they met during the Voyage of Discovery.

Clark laid out the town over 36,000 acres at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers.

He chose a centralized spot for the town’s public market. The museum is housed in the original William Clark Market House.

The 1877 DuBois Robertson/List Drug Store Interior encircles the museum’s interior. Featuring an original wooden gingerbread interior, the museum designers reassembled the store in the museum.

This beautiful framework encompasses 4,000 square feet of rotating exhibits and displays.

One feature I noticed immediately was a 1913 LaFrance fire truck, which replaced 17 horse-drawn fire wagons. An early fire call board stands behind the fire truck.

Nearby is a tall hand-carved yellow poplar wood statue of Henry Clay. A twelve-year-old boy, George Theobald of Paducah, carved it during 1852-1855. He was impressed by Clay’s lengthy obituary, which cited his lifetime accomplishments. It was his first and last carving.

Around the circumference of what was once the retail store are dozens of well-documented articles chronicling Paducah citizens.

Upstairs, where the store housed its commercial enterprise, is a special exhibit honoring Vice President Alben Barkley, who served under President Harry Truman.

The exhibit includes furniture from Barkley’s home and personal items. The first-ever Vice-Presidential Flag can be seen, as it was created for Barkley by Truman’s executive order.

Upstairs is also a quilt made entirely by Mrs. Robert E. Lee and beautiful rosewood furniture used by two generals in Paducah: Lew Wallace, who later wrote Ben-Hur, and Ulysses S. Grant.

Two tapestry chairs the Lincolns used during the short months of his second term are also precious artifacts.

I spent more than an hour here, although I could have stayed longer. As much as many displays are Paducah-specific, others are national treasures.

Paducah offers visitors so much, including the National Quilt Museum. Make sure you make time for this museum as well.

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