Patients fishing, Lake Johansen, Carville.

ID: 2980 ~ Source: Image Courtesy of the National Hansen's Disease Museum, Permanent Collection. Carville, LA.

This file appears in: Carville, The National Leprosarium: Patient Life

Patients fishing, Lake Johansen, Carville.

Lake Johansen, measuring 20 acres, was dug out of a naturally occurring low area on the 400-acre site in 1950.

"The Lake" was designated as a patients-only recreation area. Many "Carville kids" grew up on the staff-side of the hospital in the 1950s-60s. When these Carville kids visit the museum today, they often express a desire to finally get to "The Lake".

This file appears in: Carville, The National Leprosarium: Patient Life

Carville, The National Leprosarium: Patient Life

By Elizabeth Schexnyder, Curator, National Hansen's Disease Museum, Carville, LA & Kyle Hymel

In 1940, the patient population was between 400 and 450 and a massive renovation was underway. The improved hospital created individual rooms for 450 patients and the 13” thick concrete walls made the buildings as fireproof as possible. Fire was…