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Contact: Steve T. Phan, 859-382-6902
NICHOLASVILLE, KY – The National Park Service (NPS) is excited to announce the inaugural History at Sunset Series and the 2nd Annual National Night Out at Camp Nelson National Monument.
The July Calendar features two History at Sunset Programs. The special programs highlight unique and untold stories related to the Civil War Era:
Friday, July 15th: Camp Nelson and the Long Road to Emancipation (7:00 pm – 8:30 pm)
The inaugural program, sponsored by the American Battlefield Trust (ABT) as part of the "Twilight Pop Up Tours," will explore the contested struggle for freedom in Kentucky during the Civil War with specific focus on the enlistment of enslaved African American men at Camp Nelson and other recruiting stations in the state beginning in 1864.
Saturday, July 30th: "Bivouac of the Dead": History of the Camp Nelson National Cemetery (7:00 pm – 8:30 pm)
This program will delve into the history of the United States national cemetery program, founded during the Civil War, and the 1866 origins of the Camp Nelson cemetery. NPS staff will feature the stories of the earliest burials at the site, including those of some of the 837 African American soldiers interred there. It will also describe Civil War-era rituals for burying and memorializing soldiers, and the legacies of the national cemetery. The special program is made possible by support of the Camp Nelson National Cemetery (Veteran’s Administration).
Tuesday, August 2nd: National Night Out (5:00 pm – 8:00 pm)
The NPS is partnering with the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Department and the Nicholasville Police Department to host National Night out, a community partnership with local law enforcement. The special event will feature historic weapons demonstrations, children’s activities, and law enforcement presentations. Police cruisers and vehicles, and the K-9 unit will be on site.
The park is located six miles south of Nicholasville along Highway 27 and directly north of the Camp Nelson National Cemetery. The US Army established Camp Nelson as a supply depot in 1863 during the Civil War. The base later became one of the country’s largest recruiting and training centers for African American men, who served in the United States Colored Troops (USCT), and also a large refugee center for enslaved people seeking emancipation.
For more information on Camp Nelson National Monument, visit the park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/cane or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/campnelsonnps
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for over 400 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Last updated: July 9, 2022