Camp Nelson National Monument is national monument, historical museum and park located in southern Jessamine County, Kentucky, 20 miles (32 km) south of Lexington, Kentucky. The American Civil War era camp was established in 1863 as a depot for the Union Army during the Civil War. It became a recruiting ground for new soldiers from Eastern Tennessee and enslaved people, many of whom had fled their living conditions to be soldiers.
Map of the U.S. National Heritage Areas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
https://www.nps.gov/cane/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Nelson_Heritage_National_Monument
Camp Nelson National Monument is national monument, historical museum and park located in southern Jessamine County, Kentucky, 20 miles (32 km) south of Lexington, Kentucky. The American Civil War era camp was established in 1863 as a depot for the Union Army during the Civil War. It became a recruiting ground for new soldiers from Eastern Tennessee and enslaved people, many of whom had fled their living conditions to be soldiers.
Established as a supply depot and hospital during the Civil War for the U.S. Army, Camp Nelson became a large recruitment and training center for African American soldiers (USCTs), and a refugee camp for their wives and children. Thousands of enslaved people escaped to this site with the hope of securing freedom and ultimately controlling their futures by aiding in the destruction of slavery.
Camp Nelson National Monument is located along US 27 about 20 miles south of Lexington, Kentucky, 6 miles south of Nicholasville on US 27, and 16 miles north of Danville, KY on US 27. The Park entrance is on the original Danville Pike, adjacent to US 27, one mile north of the Camp Nelson National Cemetery.
Camp Nelson National Monument Visitor Center
The Visitor Center is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (closed Mon. & Tues.). The Perry "White" House is closed for renovations. The visitor center provides an orientation to the historic events that unfolded at Camp Nelson through exhibits and a 17-minute film. Objects on display and museum exhibits provide a window into the role Camp Nelson played during its height as a military installation, supply depot, hospital, recruitment center, and refugee camp.
Camp Nelson National Monument is located along highway US 27 about 20 miles south of Lexington, Kentucky, 6 miles south of Nicholasville on US 27, and 7.5 miles southeast of Wilmore along US 1268. The park entrance is on the original Danville Pike, adjacent to US 27, one mile north of the Camp Nelson National Cemetery. The visitor center is just inside the park gates.
Camp Nelson National Monument Visitor Center
The visitor center building is a gray wooden structure that models a typical barrack building.
The Camp Nelson National Monument Visitor Center
Interior of Soldiers' Barrack Building
A row of rough, wooden bunk beds in the soldiers' barrack house.
Visit the barracks to imagine life at Camp Nelson during the Civil War.
Perry House
A white, 2 story farm house with a Civil War cannon sitting in front of it
The Perry House at Camp Nelson
United States Colored Troops at Camp Nelson, KY during the Civil War
African American Civil War soldiers stand at attention outside their barracks.
African American Civil War soldiers fighting for the Union stand at attention outside their barracks at Camp Nelson, KY.
Open fields and earth works at Camp Nelson National Monument in Kentucky.
Open fields and earth works at Camp Nelson
Open fields and earth works at Camp Nelson National Monument in Kentucky.
