Infirmary under construction, 1933. Image Courtesy of the National Hansen's Disease Museum, Permanent Collection. Carville, LA.

In the earliest days of the Louisiana Leper Home (1894-1920), men and women had separate infirmaries on site.

After the federal government took over administration of the hospital in the 1920s, U.S. veterans lobbied for a "modern and improved" infirmary to be built.

Veterans were the first outside group to take an active interest in the welfare of leprosy patients at the hospital. Patient veterans formed an American Legion Post on site in the early 1930s.