Camp Neslson is a National MonumentU.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke applauded President Donald J. Trump’s designation of Kentucky’s Camp Nelson as a National Monument. Initially established as a Union Army supply depot and hospital, Camp Nelson became a key emancipation site and refugee camp for African American soldiers and their families during the Civil War. Located in Jessamine County, Kentucky, it was one of the largest Union Army recruitment and training centers in the nation for African American soldiers, then known as U.S. Colored Troops. Thousands of enslaved African Americans risked their lives escaping to Camp Nelson with the hope of securing their freedom and controlling their own futures during and after the war. Today, the site remains one of the best-preserved landscapes and archaeological sites associated with Civil War era U.S. Colored Troops recruitment camps and the African American refugee experience. Camp Nelson will now be the 418th site that the National Park Service oversees.

Camp Nelson Moves Closer to National Monument Designation from the National Park Service

Representatives from the U.S. Deparment of the Interior and the National Park Service joined a special session of the Jessamine County Fiscal Court in September 2018. Read more.

Civil War Ancestor Toolbox
Explore your Civil War heritage with our Civil War Ancestor Toolbox. Most of the questions that we receive at Camp Nelson are from those doing geneology projects, both for scholarly research and for personal satisfaction.

Camp Nelson's Portal To Freedom
Camp Nelson provided the Union Army with over 10,000 African-American soldiers, making it the third largest recruiting and training depot for African Americans in the nation. Many of the black soldiers brought their families with them to Camp Nelson and eventually the army established a refugee camp for these individuals. Thousands of African-Americans came to Camp Nelson and it was here that they gained their freedom. Read more.

Camp Life: Civil War Collections
View some of the unique artifacts related to Civil War Soldier Life, now on display at the Camp Nelson Heritage Park Interpretive Center. Here are some inside photos of the Interpretive Center.

Happy Trails:
Did you know that there are over five miles of trails to explore at Camp Nelson? The trails are an opportunity to view the beautiful central Kentucky landscape while learning about the significant role Camp Nelson played in the the Civil War. The trails are open nearly every day from dawn to dusk. Trail and visitor info.