News Release

New Summer Hours and Ranger Series 2023 Calendar

News Release Date: May 22, 2023

Contact: Steve T. Phan, 859-382-6902

NICHOLASVILLE, KY – The National Park Service (NPS) announces that the visitor center at Camp Nelson National Monument will be open 7-days a week starting on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, 2023. 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, and a Campfire Program. 

Saturday, June 10^th: 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.  

Outdoor presentation at the park. Visitors should bring a camp chair and insect repellent. 

Saturday, July 8th, 2023: Ranger Presentation (2:00 pm - 3:30 pm) 

"The Finishing Blow to the Rebellion": Victory Summer 1863 

By July 1863, U.S. military forces were on the ascension following the dramatic victories at Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Tullahoma. In the Western Theatre, the Armies of the Cumberland and Ohio were tasked with delivering the final deathblow to the Confederacy with offensives into East Tennessee and Georgia. The presentation features Dr. Jennifer Murray (Oklahoma State University) and NPS staff.  

This program will be held inside the Barracks building at the park. 

Saturday, July 22^nd: History at Sunset (7:00 pm - 8:30 pm) 

Military Impressment: Enslaved Laborers at Camp Nelson  

For over eight months in 1863-1864, the US Army forced enslaved African Americans to work at Camp Nelson. This program marks the160th anniversary of the military's impressment policy in Central Kentucky and will explore how slave labor was used to support the US war effort and emancipation. NPS staff will begin this special event with a short orientation at the Camp Nelson National Monument visitor center, before guiding participants on a 1.5-mile hike of the park's grounds.  

Visitors should wear sturdy walking shoes and bring water and insect repellent. 

#FindYourPark 

Camp Nelson National Monument, the 418^th 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.