National Hansen's Disease Museum
Encyclopedia
The National Hansen's Disease Museum is a historical museum in Carville, Louisiana
at the site of a former sugar plantation and was once home of the Carville National Leprosarium.
in Carville, Louisiana, the National Leprosarium was one of two leprosy
hospitals in the United States
. An abandoned sugar plantation became the Louisiana Leper Home in 1894. The facility promoted understanding, identification, and treatment of leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease. Many patients entered the gates under mandatory quarantine and never left the hospital again.
The facility began work with a patient load of five men and two women in the 1890s, and would grow into a facility housing hundreds of employees and patients, including married couples and children. Louisiana Leper Home was known as "a place of refuge, not reproach; a place of treatment and research, not detention". It offered hope and a comfortable refuge from society.
In 1921, the U.S. Public Health Service took control and the facility became U.S. Marine Hospital Number 66, the National Leprosarium of the United States. Patient Stanley Stein, known as "Carville's Crusader", began a two-page newsletter in 1941. It grew into The STAR, a world renowned newspaper that is still in publication.
In 1986, the facility became the Gillis W. Long Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy) Center, named after the distinguished United States Congressman Gillis W. Long. He was an advocate for people living and working with Hansen's disease. Most Public Health Service hospitals were closed during the 1980s but Long was successful in lobbying Congress to keep Carville open for the patients who wanted to remain on site, even though mandatory quarantine ceased to be law in Louisiana in the late 1950s. The name change was directly linked to Congressman Long's influence in keeping the hospital open.
In 1992, the Carville Historic District was established and in 1996 the National Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy) Museum was founded. The U.S. Congress passed a bill to relocate the Gillis W. Long Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy) Center to Baton Rouge, Louisiana
, and as of 1999 the National Hansen's Disease Programs continues its clinical care and research for Hansen's disease in Baton Rouge.
Immediately after Hurricane Katrina
, the town of Carville became the temporary home for thousands of National Guard troops and public health officials assisting with relief efforts. Museum officials interviewed several of the personnel and recorded their responses. They also photographed the damage in nearby communities and the tasks the workers faced to help restore these areas. The museum created a new archive for these materials.
Archival collections include photos and records of the Daughters of Charity who worked as nurses, teachers, researchers, medical librarians, pharmacists from 1896 to 2005; The 66 Star a bi-monthly patient newsletter issued between 1931 and 1934 and its successor, The STAR which began publication in 1941 and continues. The archives also holds copies of The Question Mark, a student newsletter that began in the 1950s and The Point Clarion, the employee newsletter.
The Foundation for Historical Louisiana currently lists the site on its Treasures in Trouble list stating that many structures require extensive repairs and maintenance.
Carville, Louisiana
Carville is a neighborhood of St. Gabriel in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States that is 16 miles south of Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River. Carville is the hometown of political personality James Carville and was named after his grandfather, the postmaster. It is also the location of...
at the site of a former sugar plantation and was once home of the Carville National Leprosarium.
History
Located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
in Carville, Louisiana, the National Leprosarium was one of two leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
hospitals in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. An abandoned sugar plantation became the Louisiana Leper Home in 1894. The facility promoted understanding, identification, and treatment of leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease. Many patients entered the gates under mandatory quarantine and never left the hospital again.
The facility began work with a patient load of five men and two women in the 1890s, and would grow into a facility housing hundreds of employees and patients, including married couples and children. Louisiana Leper Home was known as "a place of refuge, not reproach; a place of treatment and research, not detention". It offered hope and a comfortable refuge from society.
In 1921, the U.S. Public Health Service took control and the facility became U.S. Marine Hospital Number 66, the National Leprosarium of the United States. Patient Stanley Stein, known as "Carville's Crusader", began a two-page newsletter in 1941. It grew into The STAR, a world renowned newspaper that is still in publication.
In 1986, the facility became the Gillis W. Long Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy) Center, named after the distinguished United States Congressman Gillis W. Long. He was an advocate for people living and working with Hansen's disease. Most Public Health Service hospitals were closed during the 1980s but Long was successful in lobbying Congress to keep Carville open for the patients who wanted to remain on site, even though mandatory quarantine ceased to be law in Louisiana in the late 1950s. The name change was directly linked to Congressman Long's influence in keeping the hospital open.
In 1992, the Carville Historic District was established and in 1996 the National Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy) Museum was founded. The U.S. Congress passed a bill to relocate the Gillis W. Long Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy) Center to Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, and as of 1999 the National Hansen's Disease Programs continues its clinical care and research for Hansen's disease in Baton Rouge.
Collections & Exhibitions
Exhibits include a history of the Carville facility and the Public Health Service and Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul who cared for the residents. Other exhibits include photos of the facility that chronicle changes, a recreated 1940s-era patient's room, stories of patients, their daily lives as residents and the problems they faced and information on Hansen's Disease and advances in treatment.Immediately after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, the town of Carville became the temporary home for thousands of National Guard troops and public health officials assisting with relief efforts. Museum officials interviewed several of the personnel and recorded their responses. They also photographed the damage in nearby communities and the tasks the workers faced to help restore these areas. The museum created a new archive for these materials.
Archival collections include photos and records of the Daughters of Charity who worked as nurses, teachers, researchers, medical librarians, pharmacists from 1896 to 2005; The 66 Star a bi-monthly patient newsletter issued between 1931 and 1934 and its successor, The STAR which began publication in 1941 and continues. The archives also holds copies of The Question Mark, a student newsletter that began in the 1950s and The Point Clarion, the employee newsletter.
Current Use
The Federal Government returned the site to the State of Louisiana in 1999. The Louisiana National Guard currently operates a camp for at-risk youth. In addition to the museum, the grounds also remain home to a few residents chose to remain the site's official closing.The Foundation for Historical Louisiana currently lists the site on its Treasures in Trouble list stating that many structures require extensive repairs and maintenance.