Whitehaven offers everything you'd find at a typical highway rest stop — a place to park your car, stretch your legs and take advantage of restrooms and refreshments. But the historic Western Kentucky landmark, just off Interstate 24 between U.S. 45 and U.S. 62, gives visitors something else: a free look at a fascinating piece of Paducah's past.

Whitehaven is a far cry from the concrete-and-steel facilities that dot interstate highways. The main portion of the two-story brick structure was built in the 1860s, and the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Free tours are available daily from 1-4 p.m.

Included in the building is a room dedicated to Kentucky native and former Vice President Alben Barkley. Though  the late vice president  never lived there, it is now home to his vice presidential chair, his congressional roll top desk, his collection of walking canes and shaving mugs, the 1948 inaugural Bible and ot

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