Paradise

Paradise Kentucky

Paradise circa 1900

Paradise was an eastern Muhlenberg county town on the Green River about ten
        miles northeast of Greenville. It was settled early in the nineteenth century and
        was known as Stum's Landing (for Leonard Stum who owned a store and ferry
        there). It may have also been known as Monterey (for the town in Mexico), but
        was renamed Paradise for reasons that are now obscure. The site of Paradise is
        now occupied by a Tennessee Valley Authority coal-fired electric plant. The
        Paradise post office opened in 1852 and closed in 1967.

Paradise site location

Legend:
Story as to how Paradise, Kentucky was named.

A family was traveling up the Green River in a final effort to find a
cure for whatever was ailing their seriously ill child. Every attempt
so far had failed. Nobody knew the cause of the child's condition and
thus no one could help her with a cure or even relieve her symptoms. An
Owensboro doctor told them that way up on the Green River there was a
place the Indians used to say had mysterious medicinal powers. As a
rule he wouldn't advise anyone to take such a superstition seriously,
but as he could find no hope for the child in conventional medicine,
anything that could possibly help should be attempted.

So the family started up the river to find this mysterious place. One
night, they camped just above Stum's Landing, and when they awoke the
next morning the child had completely recovered. The grateful parents
said that for such a miracle this must truly be paradise. So it became.

Source: Helen Mckeown

Paradise in Kentucky - Contributed by Dorann O'Neal Lam

Pictures
Some pictures sent by Bill Hicks (Thank you Bill)
Some pictures from www.muhlenbergcountyky.com
Some pictures from Dorann Lam (Thank you Dorann)

Click on pictures for larger size

Paradise School 1906

Stum/Stom House Paradise Kentucky Circa 1900
(Desciption from Dorann: Stum House Paradise, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky
Date ? 1900 Ca. Identified by Allie Heck. Burned in 1919 after sold to Daisy & the Heck family.)