Professor Shares History of Park That Provided a Destination for Black Kentucky During Segregation | News

PADUCAH — Segregation in Kentucky public places: That was the topic of an Evenings Upstairs event Thursday at the McCracken County Public Library.

The presentation, titled “Segregation in Public Housing: A Focus on Historic Cherokee State Park,” examined the history of what was once Kentucky’s only state park for African Americans at the time of Jim Crow.

Brian Clardy, associate professor of history at Murray State University, led the discussion and aimed to spark conversations about the history of segregation and highlight the importance of Cherokee Park to black families during that era.

The park opened in 1949 and was the only destination on Kentucky Lake for blacks until it closed in 1963 as segregation ended.

Clardy said the location reminded black people of their oppression because the park was close to Aurora, Kentucky, which was considered a sunset town during segregation.

“The scenery is just spectacular and I can imagine a bunch of people coming from out of state,” Clardy said. “It’s in a very unlikely location, because in 1951 the area it was in wasn’t very African-American friendly, but the African-American community made it work.

The park was a featured destination in the Green Book – a pamphlet used by black people to find safe places to rest, eat or have fun while traveling. Another Green Book destination was the Metropolitan Hotel in Paducah.

Metropolitan Museum Hotel Manager Betty Dobson said famous people who stayed at the hotel often went to Cherokee State Park, including Tina Turner after a heated argument with her then-husband, Ike Turner.

Dobson said Ike was angry with Tina during a performance because a young man allegedly made advances toward her. Furious, Ike hit the man with his guitar and started an argument with Tina. Dobson said Tina then fled to Cherokee State Park.

“She got in her car and I think she said one of the Ikettes went with her and they went to Aurora to Cherokee Park,” Dobson said. “Tina stayed there all night so Ike could calm down and they could move forward.”

Kempton Baldridge was one of the participants in Thursday’s presentation at the library. He said he attended the event because he remembered segregation in the United States and thought people wanted it back.

“It’s a topic, it’s an exhaustible topic, and it’s important like Brian said,” Baldridge said. “It saddens me to think that time is turning back the clock or that people are trying to turn the clock back.”

Although the park is open to all races, history buffs like Clardy believe everyone should know about its history and heritage.

“By telling these stories, this is where we marshal the forces of good to stop America from betraying its promise,” Clardy said.