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Contact: Steve T. Phan, 859-382-6902
NICHOLASVILLE, KY – The National Park Service (NPS) announces that the visitor center at Camp Nelson National Monument is currently open 7-days a week. The building will be open 9:00 am to 5: 00 pm. The grounds remain open sunrise to sunset.
The NPS is excited to share our new Summer Ranger Series! The special events occur June-September 2023, and feature History at Sunset, Ranger Presentations, a Campfire Program, and the 160th Anniversary of the Knoxville Campaign (August 11-13, 2023).
The first History at Sunset program, originally set for June 10th, has been rescheduled to June 24th to allow NPS staff to support community-organized Juneteenth Day commemorations.
Saturday, June 24th: History at Sunset (7:00 pm – 8:00 pm)
"Through the Mountains to Old Kentucky": Unionist Refugees from East Tennessee
Long before Camp Nelson was established, Unionist counties in East Tennessee were attracting national attention and outrage for the harsh treatment civilians faced by Confederate occupiers. Thousands of Unionists were arrested and sent to prisons across the South, and tensions in the region put pressure on President Lincoln to launch a military campaign to liberate those counties from Confederate control. During this program, visitors will hear stories of the East Tennessee conflict and the flight of refugees into Kentucky, and the conditions that prompted the US to establish Camp Nelson and organize the East Tennessee campaign.
Brigadier General Charles Young Memorial Historical Corridor
On June 1st, NPS staff attended the official designation of the Brigadier General Charles Young Memorial Historical Corridor at Mays Lick, KY. The route begins at Camp Nelson National Monument in Jessamine County and extends to the Kentucky/Ohio Border at Mays Lick—the birthplace of General Young.
Governor Andy Beshear was present to sign Senate Joint Resolution 58, remarking: “Today, we’re taking yet another step to make sure this hero is celebrated and honored for generations to come right here in his home state of Kentucky.”
Charles Young was born to enslaved parents Gabriel and Arminta Young on March 12, 1864, in Mays Lick during the Civil War. Gabriel self-emancipated by enlisting in the US Army (5th US Colored Heavy Artillery) at Ripley, Ohio. A generation later, Charles, the third African American graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, became the first Black officer to achieve the rank of captain, major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel in the Regular Army. He also served as the first Black Superintendent of a National Park—Sequoia and King’s Canyon National Park in 1903. Young was posthumously promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the Regular Army on February 1, 2022.
Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument, located in Wilberforce, OH, was designated as the 401st unit of the NPS on March 25, 2013. We express our gratitude to Mr. Charles Blatcher, III, Chairman, for the invitation.
Kentucky History Awards at Kentucky Historical Society
Camp Nelson National Monument received the 2023 Thomas D. Clark Award of Excellence, presented by the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS). The award is presented to a history organization for outstanding achievement throughout the year.
Historian Stuart Sanders presented the award to Superintendent Ernie Price and Park Ranger Steve Phan, sharing these remarks:
The National Park Service staff there have consistently provided varied and high-quality programming that places the importance of Camp Nelson within the broader context of the history of our state and nation.
In order to best represent the history of this important Civil War Site and to help us better understand Camp Nelson’s impact on the present, staff there have implemented lecture series, hikes, volunteer events, living history interpretation, partner programs, memorials, tours, and the “History at Sunset” series. The programming at Camp Nelson has added expansive content and context to the full histories of slavery, emancipation, the role of African American Union troops, and the impact that the site had upon American history. Camp Nelson has embodied a place where we can explore the present through the exceptional stories of the past.
Because of this wonderful work, which has transpired over a short period of time, we are pleased to present the Thomas D. Clark Award of Excellence to Camp Nelson National Monument.
#FindYourPark
Camp Nelson National Monument, the 418th unit of the National Park Service, is located six miles south of Nicholasville, KY on Highway 27 and directly north of the Camp Nelson National Cemetery.
For more information, visit the park’s website at: www.nps.gov/cane or the park’s Facebook page at https:www.facebook.com/CampNelsonNPS.
Last updated: June 6, 2023