This chronology begins in 1869 when the need for a state-funded hospital was realized. The story continues with the establishment of the Shreveport Charity Hospital in 1876 at Pierre Avenue and Ford Street, the eventual move to Texas Avenue and Murphy Street in 1889, and the construction of a new hospital facility in 1904. The building survived a fire in 1926 and reconstruction was completed by 1929. On June 3, 1953 a new and improved facility opened at the corner of Kings Highway and Linwood Avenue. The new location brought a new name – Confederate Memorial Medical Center.

The possibility of a medical school in Shreveport was discussed as early as 1950. After several false starts and fifteen years, this dream became a reality. The newly established LSU School of Medicine affiliated with the Confederate Memorial Medical Center later that same year. Even though the medical school building was not constructed until 1975, the first class of medical students was admitted in 1969 and attended classes at the Shreveport Veterans Administration Hospital.

Growth and progress prompted a name change in 1978 to the Louisiana State University Medical Center and again in 1999 to the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. 

Extensive holdings of the LSU Health Sciences Center Medical Library were used to document the significant events in this institution’s history presented in the chronology. Materials depicted in this virtual archive include photographs, correspondence, documents, newspaper articles, and artifacts, as well as audio and video clips. These unique archival resources provide a fascinating glimpse into this institution’s past.