A Story From the Metropolitan

The Hotel Metropolitan and the McCracken County Public Library have partnered to share A Story from the Metropolitan. Ms. Maggie Steed will take you on a journey into the past, featuring stories about some famous folks who were not so famous then.

There will be live music and opportunities for audience participation. 

The Hotel Metropolitan was built in 1908 by Maggie Steed, an African-American woman, to accommodate people of color. It became a designated stop in the Green Book, a safe haven for African American travelers, including world-famous entertainers traveling the Chitlin' Circuit like Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Ike and Tina Turner.

When Betty Dobson joined the effort to save the Hotel Metropolitan, she knew this storied landmark in Paducah's Uppertown neighborhood was worth preserving. She grew up in nearby Lyon County with a deep interest in the history of western Kentucky and preserving it for future generations. "Being a woman of color, I wanted to know more about the contributions of local African Americans to the world. So for the past twenty years, I have researched Paducah's African-American history – which is amazing – and shared it with visitors through the Hotel Metropolitan."

Dobson is co-founder and director of the Hotel Metropolitan and the Upper Town Heritage Foundation 1999 – Present. She is Chair of the Kentucky African American Commission 2022- Present. She is a member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. Dobson was recognized with the Sally Bingham Award 2018, W.C. Young Center Woman of the Year, The Ida Lee Willis Service Award winner 2014, Kentucky Historical Society 2011 “Kentucky History Award of Distinction”, The Baha’s “Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award” 2002 and M.L. King Citizen Award

All programs are free & open to the public