The Illinois Central Railroad Hospital at 1501 Broadway in Paducah served railroad employees and the surrounding community for more than 70 years. In 1896, the Illinois Central Railroad acquired the CO&SW, including the Paducah hospital, through a bankruptcy sale. Management of the facility later passed to the Illinois Central Railroad Hospital Association, an organization legally separate from the railroad. In 1911, the Illinois Central Railroad Hospital Department was established to oversee hospitals in Paducah, Chicago and New Orleans, and the Hospital Association was subsequently merged into the new department. Prior to closing, the Paducah facility was the largest hospital in the Illinois Central Railroad system between Chicago and New Orleans.