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Contact: Steve T. Phan, 859-382-6902
NICHOLASVILLE, KY – The National Park Service (NPS) is excited to announce winter operating hours at Camp Nelson National Monument. The park’s Visitor Center and Museum will be open 5-days a week (Wednesday-Sunday). The building will be open 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The grounds remain open sunrise to sunset.
The calendar features the 2nd Annual Winter Lecture Series and Winter Hike.
Saturday, January 14: Winter Lecture Series (11:00 am – 12:30 pm)
The January event will be held at the national park, while the February and March presentations will be hosted at Jessamine County Public Library.
Dr. Brad Asher: The Most Hated Man in Kentucky: The Lost Cause and the Legacy of Union General Stephen Burbridge
In his biography of US Army General Stephen G. Burbridge, Brad Asher explores how Burbridge earned his infamous reputation and illuminates how Burbridge—as both a Kentuckian and the local architect of the destruction of slavery—became the scapegoat for white Kentuckians, including many in the Unionist political elite, who were unshakably opposed to emancipation.
Saturday, January 21st: Winter in the Western Theater Hike (10:30 am – 12:30 pm)
The guided hike launches the 160th Camp Nelson Anniversary Commemoration (2023-2026). The program focuses on the political and military stakes leading up to Camp Nelson's establishment by the US Army in April 1863, including military campaigns in the Western Theater, the liberation of East Tennessee, and Kentucky’s contested road to emancipation.
The special event begins with a short orientation at the visitor center. From there, NPS staff will guide participants on a 2-mile hike of the park's grounds.
The hike will be conducted on cleared dirt paths and will involve moderate inclines. Participants should wear comfortable hiking shoes and bring water.
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 freedom.
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: January 6, 2023