National Hansen's Disease Museum, Research museum in Carville, Louisiana, US
The National Hansen's Disease Museum sits on the grounds of a former hospital in Carville, Louisiana and displays medical equipment, photographs, and personal accounts of Hansen's disease treatment. The collection documents both the medical history and personal stories connected to this facility and its patients.
The grounds operated as a national facility for Hansen's disease patients from 1894 to 1999 and served as the only such place in the country for much of that time. When it closed, it ended a major chapter in American medical history.
The exhibits tell the stories of patients, doctors, and researchers who worked with Hansen's disease. Visitors learn about their daily lives and how their experiences shaped medical understanding.
The museum occupies the grounds of the former Carville National Leprosarium, about 20 miles from Baton Rouge, and is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm with free admission. Group tours can be arranged in advance; no English- or French-language guided tours are documented, so check directly before relying on one.
The museum opened in 1996 on the grounds of the former Louisiana Leper Home, founded in 1894 on an old sugarcane field. The site was renamed in 1986 for Representative Gillis William Long, who worked in support of Hansen's disease patients, and the Carville Historic District was established in 1992.
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