This Creative City Story is made possible by a special collaboration with the McCracken County Public Library.
The River’s Role in Paducah’s History
Conversations about Paducah's musical heritage cannot be had without the discussion of the river. Conveniently located at the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers, the city has long been an epicenter for commerce and art. The foot of Broadway was for years a working city scape with boats coming and going, loading and unloading, all alongside the wharf boat, Paducah Marine Ways, and other river industry. Before the floodwall and Wilson Stage, the hustle and bustle of men loading freight on steamboats like the Stw. Joe Fowler, J. S. Hopkins, and George Cowling was a daily norm, with people crowding the riverfront for transport and commerce.
A riverboat at the Port of Paducah
Black Workers and the Steamboat Industry
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries numerous Black men and women found work in trades associated with the thriving steamboat industry. Due to its proximity to the confluences of the American inland waterways, Paducah was a hub for individuals seeking employment along the rivers. Workers like roustabouts who loaded freight, chambermaids who cleaned rooms, along with cooks and other labors, often found themselves in physically demanding contracted work, in unfavorable conditions. As seen in other areas of American culture, these elements would eventually lead to song. Often used to lighten workload and monotony, the roustabouts and chambermaids of the packetboat era expressed themselves by singing, thus creating a genre of nearly forgotten folk music. Some were sung in unison, some were sung with a call and response while loading freight in time, some were sung in mourning, some were sung in celebration, and some were sung in a longing for home. The songs took shape from experience, folklore, religion, love, and even popular culture. They told stories of historical events and the journeys that the singers took up and down the waterways, from places like Pittsburg and New Orleans. These travels often led to more songs and tones being added to the repertoire.
An early transcription of a roustabout song.
Mary Wheeler: Preserving the Voices of the River
Beginning in the 1920s Paducah native and musicologist Mary Wheeler began collecting song, stories, and photographs of the former roustabouts and chambermaids that were still living in Paducah and the surrounding West Kentucky. She visited homes interviewing individuals and writing down lyrics while remembering melodies. Upon returning to her home, she would then write out the melody. She often took the young Walter 'Dub' Beasley along to photograph individuals. Her book, Steamboatin' Days, was eventually published in 1944, featuring selected songs, stories, and photographs Wheeler had collected.
Mary Wheeler collected and transcribed Paducah's roustabout songs.
Numerous Paducah singers are featured in Mary's book, including Joe McKnight, Rev. Clabe and Tennessee Riley, and Susan (whose surname is thought to be Collins). Susan was a cook and chambermaid on numerous boats along the Tennesse, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers. She also worked for the Wheeler family when Mary was a child, taking her to explore steamboats at the riverfront. Later in life, Mary visited Susan and collected the song, "Is Your Lamps Gone Out," as it was sung on the Stw. Joe Fowler.
Susan was a cook and chambermaid on numerous boats along the Tennessee, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers.
The Mary Wheeler Collection at McCracken County Public Library
Upon Mary’s passing, her niece Bertha Wenzel entrusted her archive to the McCracken County Public Library. It encompasses over 4 cubic feet and includes one of the largest collections of inland waterways songs in America. The songs tell stories of boats, love, river life, tragedy, historical events, and more. This one-of-a-kind collection is a glimpse into the daily lives of Black working-class men and women living in West Kentucky during the early 20th century.
Honoring a Musical Legacy in 2025
On March 9, 2025, local choral group, The Paducah Singers, will perform several roustabout songs transcribed by Mary Wheeler and arranged by Paducah native William Averitt. This concert, commemorating the restoration and opening of Williams Family Symphony Hall at Paducah's iconic Walter Jetton Jr. High School, will feature a world premiere commission by Averitt, which captures historical moments from Paducah's past. The concert will also feature a performance by local band, The Wheelhouse Rousters, of which Nathan Lynn is a member. The event is free and open to the public.
For more information on the Mary Wheeler collection, visit https://digitalcollections.mclib.net/luna/servlet/McCracken~13~13
