By Gregg Andrews

On July 13, 2023, I traveled to Paducah, Kentucky, to give an invited talk and sign copies of my new book, Shantyboats and Roustabouts, at a meeting of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society (JPHS). The meeting was held on the morning of the 15th in the River Discovery Center, 117 S. Water Street, which co-hosted the event. On the evening of my arrival, I checked into the 1857 Hotel, savored a delicious Chilean sea bass selection at Cynthia’s Ristorante on Market House Square, and strolled to the riverfront on a beautiful, if a bit muggy, evening at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee rivers. Afterward, I topped off a long day of travel with a bourbon nightcap at the 1857 Hotel bar.

After three cups of coffee and a light breakfast the next morning, I ambled to the foot of Broadway, where a cruise line paddle wheeler, the American Splendor, had recently docked. It was a gorgeous morning to watch river traffic and the town’s riverfront come alive. I was eager to view Paducah’s noted flood wall murals, which depict the city’s vibrant multi-ethnic waterfront history. Below are a few random photos I took of individual murals and other features of Paducah’s riverfront history, including the historic Illinois Central Railroad’s Steam Locomotive No. 1518. For those who are interested in the history of the mural project, I have included a link below.

Paducah Wall to Wall Floodwall Murals

Next, I walked to the nearby McCracken County Public Library and donated a signed copy of my book to its holdings. The library houses the expansive Mary Wheeler Collection of research materials, images, and song lyrics of river roustabouts. The collection was helpful when I wrote the sections of my book on the music of roustabouts. Wheeler was a Paducah music educator, writer, and song collector who conducted research and interviewed many roustabouts in the 1930s. Her collection contains an impressive number of river song transcripts.

Later that morning, I toured the River Discovery Center in Paducah’s oldest standing building. The beautifully restored room on the second floor where my talk and book signing would take place the next day provided an ideal setting with a commanding view of the confluence. The Center, which is undergoing an expansion, is devoted to keeping alive and stimulating interest in the history of western Kentucky’s Four Rivers region. It features interactive river exhibits and a wide variety of photos and educational materials. I couldn’t resist stopping at one of the Center’s music stations to listen to a recording of a river roustabout song about the “John Gilbert” steamboat. From river films, songs, and habitat to boat simulators and countless other educational tools, the Center offers school children and adults a window into the river history of the region, which also encompasses parts of the nearby Cumberland and Mississippi rivers.

A warm audience greeted me on the day of my talk. Some had driven a considerable distance for the event. I was particularly pleased that a few of Paducah’s Ambassadors were in the audience. They greet tourists from the paddle wheelers, welcome them to Paducah, and share bits of riverfront history. We had a lively question-and-answer session after my talk, and I especially enjoyed chatting with individual members of the audience afterward. I want to thank William Mulligan, President of the JPHS and Professor Emeritus of History at Murray State University, for inviting me to speak, and I thank Polly Brasher, Executive Director of the River Discovery Center, and Caroline Veatch, the Center’s Marketing Coordinator, for co-hosting the event. The hospitality on the part of JPHS members and the entire staff of the River Discovery Center was wonderful all the way around. I hope my talk, which emphasized the perspective of studying river history from the bottom up, stimulates fresh ways of thinking about those who have lived and labored on our nation’s rivers, contributed mightily to the building of vital river economies, and shaped the cultural history of our waterways.

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