Whitehaven Welcome Center

Whitehaven began in 1865 as a brick farmhouse built by tobacco dealer Edward L. Anderson near Paducah. In 1903 businessman Edward Atkins had the house remodeled in the Classical Revival style, with a portico of eight Corinthian columns, and named it Whitehaven. Since 1983 it has served as a state welcome center on Interstate 24, with period furnishings and memorabilia of Vice President Alben Barkley, a Paducah native. Kentucky Tourism lists Whitehaven among the state's haunted places, and the Paducah Sun has reported on stories of apparitions, lights and odd smells. The stories are folklore, and no single named ghost is firmly established. House tours are currently unavailable because of renovations, though the lobby remains open as a rest stop.