How Paducah, Kentucky got its name

A common story told in the Paducah area is that William Clark, of the Lewis and Clark fame, named Paducah for a Chickasaw chieftain called Chief Paduke, but this is incorrect. Clark was actually referring to a tribe he learned about during his travels exploring the west.

In a letter to his son on April 27, 1827, Clark wrote:

“I expect to go to the mouth of the Tennessee River, and be absent about two weeks. I have laid out a town there and intend to sell some lots in it, the name is Paducah, one of the largest Indian nations known in this country, and now almost forgotten.”

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Shays’ Rebellion and the Articles of Confederation

There are many arguments proclaiming the ‘evils’ of big government, and it always seems to come back to the same arguments made by the Federalists and the Anti-federalists during the days of our founders, concerning the differences between a strong central government and a weak central government.

It is taken as gospel that our government should be small, and it is argued that it was always meant to be this way, but from what has been said about the dangers of our large government, it appears that some are advocating for a return of the Articles of Confederation, with its weak central powers, instead of the federal government that we have today.

Researching the life of a Civil War soldier Videos

Civil War Trust Animated Map: Fort Sumter

For research on my upcoming book, A Divided Cause, I am posting this video to describe the attack on Fort Sumter. Major Robert Anderson, from Kentucky, was put in charge of the Charleston Harbor defenses. Fort Anderson in Paducah, Kentucky was named after him. Paducah lit lanterns and hung them from their gates to show support for the Confederate army.

Animated Battle of Franklin – Civil War Trust

Rivers and Rails: Daggers of the Civil War | Tennessee Civil War

Guns Of The Civil War

The Battle of Vicksburg Civil War Trust

Animated Battle of Shiloh – Civil War Trust