Drive north on Washington Street in Clinton and you will pass a state historical marker with a line that makes people smile: “Barkley swept here.”
It is a small reminder that one of Kentucky’s most famous politicians got his start right here in Hickman County.
Our town’s college
The marker stands near the site of Marvin College, a Methodist school built in 1884 and 1885. For nearly four decades it gave young people in our area a chance at an education many families could not otherwise reach.
One of those students was Alben W. Barkley. He did not have the money for tuition, so he paid his way by doing janitorial work at the school. He graduated in 1897, and the story of the young man with the broom stuck around long after he left town.
From Clinton to Washington
Barkley went on to serve as a congressman and a U.S. senator, and he was Vice President of the United States from 1949 to 1953. Folks in western Kentucky still know his name from Lake Barkley and the many places named in his honor.
Marvin College itself closed in 1922. According to the marker, the reason was the growth of free public schools, which brought education to children who once had to travel or pay to get it. In a way, the school’s closing was a sign that its mission had spread to every community.
The marker was put up in 1965 by the Kentucky Historical Society and the state highway department. It sits on North Washington Street, also U.S. 51, a little north of Clay Street. It is worth a stop the next time you are in town, especially if you have kids who need a reminder that hard work and a good education can take you a long way.
Do you have photos or family stories from Marvin College? Share them with us at news@southwestky.com.
Sources: Kentucky Historical Society, Marker 891, Historical Marker Database.
Photo: Alben W. Barkley. National Photo Company, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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