Carville in Iberville Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)
The Daughters of Charity
of St. Vincent de Paul
Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, September 23, 2016
1. Daughters of Charity Marker
In 1895, the Louisiana Leper Home Board of Control needed to secure nursing services for the first patients. They approached a Catholic nursing order with the promise of furnishing sleeping and living arrangements. The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul agreed to serve the patients at Carville.
The Daughters of Charity are a Society of Apostolic Life. With a membership over 19,000 Catholic Sisters worldwide, they serve the sick and the poorest of the poor.
Four Sisters arrived in April of 1896. The Daughters of Charity fulfilled their mission of caring for the patients until the order closed its mission on this site in 2005. Over the 109 year span of their mission, 116 sisters served at Carville.
In 1921, when the U.S. Public Health Service assumed control of Carville, the Sisters remained and became government employees. Many of the Sisters served as nurses while others became lab technicians, dieticians, librarians or worked in the dental clinic or pharmacy. Their outstanding work included raising the morale of the patients through music therapy and recreational activities. Many patients have referred to the Sisters as "angles" - not solely because of their distinctive coronets.
Sr. Hilary Ross lived and worked at the Carville hospital from 1923 to 1960 where she helped build a research laboratory
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Churches & Religion • Science & Medicine.
Location. 30° 11.791′ N, 91° 7.574′ W. Marker is in Carville, Louisiana, in Iberville Parish. Marker is on Point Clair Road (State Highway 141) one mile north of Martin Luther King Parkway (State Highway 75), on the right when traveling north. Marker is located in front of the Hansen's Disease Museum, on the grounds of the Louisiana National Guard Carville site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5445 Point Clair Road, Bldg 12, Carville LA 70721, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The STAR (here, next to this marker); Triumph At Carville: A Tale of Leprosy in America (here, next to this marker); Cage Door of Harry T. Chimpanzee (a few steps from this marker); Staff Housing, U.S. Public Health Service Hospital, Carville (within shouting distance of this marker); Administration Building, U.S. Public Health Service Hospital, Carville (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Indian Camp Plantation (about 300 feet away); Belle Grove Plantation
Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, September 23, 2016
2. Daughters of Charity Marker
More about this marker. Marker is located inside the National Guard Site, but is part of the Museum's self driving tour. No photography is permitted except markers and site cemetery. This is currently an active Military base so check before visiting, and for other regulations which may apply.
Also see . . . National Hansen's Museum Website. (Submitted on June 10, 2017.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2017, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 352 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 10, 2017.
