Leaving southern Missouri and heading east, our route took us over two rivers – the Mississippi and the Ohio, one right after the other. When we weren’t on bridges, we were on an elevated roadway. This was a surprise as we’ve crossed both rivers many times, but never in such quick succession.

Both bridges were old, and very narrow. Cal had to pull in the truck mirrors. I suppose the road crews want to save their upgrades for the major bridges over interstates.

When we used to travel from St. Louis, the rest area at Paducah was a break from the interstate on our way south. The Whitehaven Kentucky Welcome Center is actually a distinctive post civil war era mansion. On one trip, my youngest daughter and I had checked out the upper floors. This was my first time to see the town, though, and I don’t know how it is I hadn’t been here sooner. Especially with someone who enjoys shopping!

We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived in the old downtown area. Old buildings have been lovingly restored. There are shops, art galleries, restaurants, museums, and twenty blocks of this area are on the National Resister of Historic Places.

Even the old market hall has been transformed and divided into new purposes. One of those is the Market House Theatre and another space has the William Clark Market House Museum.

William Clark? Yes, that William Clark, from the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In 1827, some years after that little trip, he purchased 37,000 acres here for $5.00. He laid out the town as it would be, named it Paducah after Western Indians he had met on his trip, and set this spot as the town’s public market.

We’d found a great place for lunch as soon as we arrived. It was Kirchhoff’s Bakery, and we’d had delicious gyros on their bakery-made pita bread. In the museum, we learned that it had been there since 1873, passed down in the family from one generation to another.

After visiting the museum, Cal had to step back over to the bakery to buy an assortment of their cookies.

An old pharmacy that was closing its doors donated their shelves and intricate woodwork to the museum. That provided the backdrop to this little space crammed with memories of the town’s history.

Sitting at the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio rivers, Paducah’s history of is that of being a busy port. Then the rail industry came into existence. Factories, foundries, and dry dock facilities were built.

We walked along the riverfront and watched this boat push several barges along the Ohio.

But to me, none of that was quite as interesting as what I learned almost as soon as we started walking around the town. In 2013, Paducah was designated as a UNESCO Creative City for “the City’s important role in the connectivity of cultures through creativity”.

Evidence of this is right there on the waterfront, as the flood wall is covered in murals.

Time moved forward as I strolled along the murals. Here is another of the market building. I like how the little boy is just on the edge of the picture.

But I had another reason for visiting Paducah. The National Quilt Museum is here. On my way to visit, I stopped to admire this statue. With a bit of artistic license, it portrays Clark and his dog Seaman, and those who helped him and Lewis on their journey. Interestingly, the sign near the statue notes that Clark paid $20.00 for Seaman, but only $5.00 for Paducah.

I truly admired the artistry of the quilts in the museum. Some of the most intricate ones were hand sewn. I can’t imagine doing all that work by hand. Others, just as beautiful, were machine sewn and some were a combination of the two.

This quilt looked like a painting when I stepped away from it, and the windows seemed to glow with light:

There were many miniatures. Which is your favorite?

The picture below does not adequately show how this quilt shimmered with beads. It depicts scenes from the Hobbit. The featured picture for this blog post is a close-up of Smaug sitting on his hoard of gold.

Of course, there were plenty of more traditional quilts too.

I was inspired by the quilt museum. Down the road, I have found and purchased a learn-to-quilt kit. I have no machine so it will be handsewn, but it makes a potholder, a coaster, and small mat. I think it’s geared for children, so maybe it will be easy. Well, that’s what it assures me on the package. But oh no—another project to save for another time!

On our way out of the great state of Kentucky, we needed an overnight stop. This being the start of Memorial weekend, it was not an easy find. The Ft. Knox military family camp had a spot for us. It sits outside the gate and feels like a state park. We had to make sure we drove by the United States Bullion Depository. According to Wikipedia, it holds 147.3 million ounces of gold bullion. That’s over half of the gold that the government holds.

The government is not shy about saying what this building is. It sits right off the main road on “Bullion Boulevard”. You can bet there’s some heavy security, though.

Next time – friends, family and sights in Dayton