Karens Road

Do you ever wonder about homes and how they came to be? While in Paducah, I passed a beautiful mansion on the way to our hotel. Whitehaven Mansion is out by the interstate and is now the state visitor center. It is a very elegant mansion, with a big southern style columned portico out front. I wondered if a family had lived there. Were they wealthy from working the soil or did they inherit this beautiful home? I did some research.

I stumbled across an article at Discover Our Town that gave even more information as to what the stately home is used for these days. “This historical landmark is a classical revival Victorian home and features a second floor room filled with memorabilia of Alben W. Barkley, Vice President under Harry Truman. It now serves as the official Welcome Center. Tours are available.”

Whitehaven Mansion (circa 1860)
1845 Lone Oak Road
Paducah, KY 42003

That was terrific information, but I want to know the history of the place. I resumed my search.

Eureka! I found out how the house came to be built and other interesting historical facts.

From essortment.com Written by Sheila Guevin – © 2002 Pagewise

Rescued from possible destruction in 1981 by Paducah Community College, the estate home survived and in March 1984 was listed on the National Register of Historic Placed by the United States
Deparment of Interior.

Whitehaven is open for tours from 10 to 2, but open 9 to 9 as a Visitor Center.

This restored home houses a collection of donated artifacts that belonged to the former Vice-president Alben Barkley. The collection includes the Vice-Presidential desk and chair, walking canes, senatorial shaving mugs, the first Vice-President flag, the 1948 inaugural Bible and other momentoes.

Whitehaven’s original brick structure was built in the 1860′s by Edward L. Anderson. The house remained in the Anderson family till 1903 when it was sold for a sum of $4,000 to a local bank clerk named Ed I. Atkins. Mr. Atkins commissioned A.L. Lassiter to do a complete remodeling of the home and as was the common practice of that time, Lassiter added the Classical Revival architectural additions including the six Corinthian pillars, which now hold up the massive front porch.

At this time, stained glass and interior plasterwork were also added to the house. An inlaid stained glass piece with the name Whitehave 1903 was installed over the stairway landing.

The home changed families again in 1908 when it sold for a sum of $7,000 in cash to then Mayor of Paducah, James P. Smith. At this time, the house gained an additional structure of six bedrooms to house the family’s six children. In addition, the home was redecorated with silk wallpaper and heavy damask gold draperies.

Whitehaven was renamed Bide-A-Wee which is Scottish from “Come Rest A While.” It remained in the Smith family till 1968. The family moved believing the home was going to be torn down due to the construction of I-24, which now runs just fifty yards from its front door.

Between its abandonment in ’68 and its purchase in ’81, it was subject to large amounts of vandalism, none of which is evident today. The restoration has been honored on the local, state, and national level.

This lovely mansion is by far the most exquisite visitors center and rest stop. It is a must stop rest stop.

Did you watch Extreme Makeover on May 17? This weeks episode profiled an Indianapolis family, the McFarlands. This deserving family was chosen because of their efforts to give back to their community. Though they certainly have problems of their own, they never fail to provide a place for the youth in their area to hang. They are always willing to give a hand when someone needs help. They are the example of what caring is all about.

What do you like to do when you go on vacation? I like to ride the roller coasters at amusement parks but I really enjoy relaxing more these days. I think that is why I like Kissimmee, Florida. There are a wide variety of things to experience when visiting in Kissimmee. There are many water parks where you can take the family and enjoy a day in the sun. There are also many ways to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of every day life.

The way I want to enjoy my vacation is to relax. I want to take my favorite book, prepare a snack and plop into a comfortable lounge chair beside a small lake. There are still places around Kissimmee where you can get close to nature and get to know Florida without all the traffic.

It makes no difference the type of vacation you plan. Fast pace or slow, Kissimmee has something for everyone.

Would you like to get away to beautiful Florida? Check out the Kissimmee Freedom to Enjoy Sweepstakes. By simply filling out an entry form, you have a chance to win a fun vacation. They have already had two drawings and the last one is 6/1/09, so be sure to enter.

We took a different route on our way home from our son’s home in Oxford, Ohio yesterday. He graduated with his master’s degree in communications and we attended the beautiful graduation ceremony. Our different route showed us a few things I had not noticed before. Richmond has a beautiful statue in the Glen Miller Park. In commemoration of pioneer mothers of the covered wagon days, this statue is the ninth link in the Great National Shrine erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution along the National Road Trail. There are only 12 statues linked along U.S. 40 from Cumberland, Maryland, to Upland, California. The Richmond statue stands at the entrance of Glen Miller Park, at U.S. 40 East and North 22nd Street. This statue was restored in 2005 and commemorates the westward flow of pioneers along the Cumberland Road through the city.

I am in awe of the pioneers and how they overcame the magnificent struggles to conquer an unknown land. Their struggles have given us so much as we are now a diversified country. Can you imagine being a mother, traveling with a baby and toddlers across a vast unknown land? Many families died along the way. The ones who made it were able to start a new life, full of hope and dreams. I only think I would have been one of the ones to reach the new land. Do you think you would have made it?

You can find more pictures and information about the Madonna’s of the Trail statues by visiting Route 40 Net.
Source: Waynet, Inc.

While in Paducah, Kentucky last week, I noticed the beautiful artwork along the flood wall that protects the city from the Ohio river. This artwork is amazing and I wondered how it came to be that we were lucky enough to look at beautiful scenes instead of just cement. I did some research.

In case you are wondering where in the world Paducah is, Paducah is about halfway between St. Louis, Missouri and Nashville, Tennessee.

The “Wall to Wall” murals are by muralist Robert Dafford. The murals have been painted over 11 years by Robert Dafford and a team of artists who work with him. Robert Dafford is a current resident of Lafayette, Louisiana. Dafford has painted over 300 murals across the United States, Canada, France, Belgium, and England. He has been painting murals, signs and fine art paintings for 35 years. In the past fifteen years, Dafford has concentrated on working along the Ohio River, painting over two hundred large historical images of cities on their floodwalls, using trompe l’œil, advanced perspective, and realist technique. Many riverboat tours make stops along the Ohio River specifically to see his murals. Dafford is best known for his murals in Paducah, Kentucky; Portsmouth, Ohio; Covington, Kentucky; and his giant ‘Clarinet’ in New Orleans.

The 60+ consecutive Portsmouth murals stretch over 2,000 feet (610 m) and cover 44,000 sq. ft. Dafford’s murals are created with the purpose of boosting downtown development in small communities.

The murals in Paducah span several blocks and depict the history of Western Kentucky. It’s worth a visit just to see these beautiful murals, but Paducah has much more. It is also the home of the Museum of the American Quilter’s Society, the Paducah Railroad Museum, the River Heritage Museum and much more. I love Paducah!

Sources: Roaming Times Travel