Paducah was first settled as "Pekin" around 1821 by European Americans James and William Pore. The town was laid out by explorer and surveyor William Clark in 1827 and renamed Paducah. It was formally established as a town in 1830 and incorporated as a city by the state legislature in 1838. It became the site of dry dock facilities for steamboats, towboats and the headquarters for many barge companies. In 1924 the Illinois Central Railroad begin construction for their largest locomotive workshop in the nation. The eleven million dollar project was completed in 1927 and was the fourth largest industrial plant in the state of Kentucky. Twenty blocks of downtown has been designated as a historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As you walk through town you will notice the flood wall which was built after the Ohio River flood in 1937. Today the wall is covered with murals of the history of the town. Paducah is also home of the National Quilt Museum, built April 25, 1991.
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