Paducah had many early doctors.

Paducah had many early doctors. One of the better remembered was Dr John G. Brooks, who practiced till a ripe old age. He was born in 1840 in Montgomery County, Tennessee, served with the 3rd Ky CSA as an orderly sergeant, and was the Federal Pension Examiner in 1875. He was also Physician under the Hawaiian Crown (1872-1873) before moving back to Paducah. Brooks started the movement to build Paducah’s old Riverside Hospital, fondly remembered by many Paducahans, and which stood close to the riverfront in the downtown area.