Jackson Purchase Historical Society

Held at Whaler’s Catch in Paducah, Kentucky – Betty Dobson, brought Maggie Steed to life as she talked about the experiences of coming to Paducah from Tennessee and opening the Hotel Metropolitan. Maggie, a woman of “color”, was far ahead of her time, becoming a successful business woman. Maggie’s father was a slave and when President Lincoln offered slaves a chance to fight in the Civil War effort, he promised them and their families freedom after the war. Many colored regiments were continued after the war and Maggie arrived in Paducah in 1898 mainly due to the colored regiment that was located there and for the opportunities for young colored women in the area. For $2 a day, guests could stay at her hotel and be treated to biscuits and coffee in the mornings at 6 a.m. Famous guests who stayed there through the hotel’s operation were Louie Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Thurgood Marshall, B. B. King, Ike and Tina Turner, Marcus Haines, Jessie Owens, and the Harlem Globetrotters. Many famous African-Americans traveled the Chitlin Circuit which was the name of the route of hotels that accepted African-Americans as guests. Langford Hughes and the Negro Baseball League were just some of the guests along the Chitlin Circuit. The Hotel Metropolitan, named by Maggie to give it a high-class sound, was very forward-thinking because it had lights and running water. After Maggie’s death on May 29, 1925, her son ran the hotel for two to three years, then sold it to Mamie Burbridge. After her death, Lester and Olivia Gaines owned it and their son, Clarence “Big House” Gaines became the 3rd winningest coach in the United States at one point. The Hotel Metropolitan was located in Upper Town and it is due to Ms. Dobson’s efforts and the Upper Town Heritage Foundation’s support that it is now a museum. After the meeting concluded, guests toured the Hotel Metropolitan, guided by Ms. Dobson.

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