Mayfield, Graves County

During April-May 1861, pro-Southern secessionist meetings were conducted in the Mayfield Courthouse Square.

During July 1863, the Union army increased its troop strength in western Kentucky. Camps were established at Mayfield, Feliciana, and Murray to provide for greater Federal control of the region than could be conducted from Paducah, Columbus, and Fort Heiman. The Mayfield camp included fortifications surrounding the courthouse, built with conscripted labor by local residents from as far away as Feliciana. Although there were no recorded actions of any significance in western Kentucky during the remainder of 1863, the region would be marred by violence as Union and Confederate sympathizers struggled to control the area.

This site has local significance because of its association with military activities and events that achieved or affected important local objectives of the Vicksburg campaign.