John G. Fee

Portrait of Reverand John G. Fee

Berea College

Quick Facts

Significance:

Abolitionist preacher and educator at Camp Nelson and founder of Berea College.

Place of Birth:

Bracken County, Kentucky

Date of Birth:

September 9, 1816

Place of Death:

Berea, Kentucky

Date of Death:

January 9, 1901

Place of Burial:

Berea, Kentucky

Cemetery Name:

Berea Cemetery

The First Missionary to Arrive and the Last to Leave

Camp Nelson was the rendezvous of soldiery and birthplace of liberty to Kentucky.  It is hallowed in the minds of thousands. - Reverend John G. Fee
 

From promoting better living conditions to advocating for educational and religious services to assisting with newfound freedom, one man played a monumental role in advocating for U.S. Colored Troops [USCT] and their families at Camp Nelson and that was John Gregg Fee.

Early Life

John G. Fee was an abolitionist, minister, educator, and founder of the Kentucky town, Berea, and Berea College, one of the first interracial colleges in the south. Born in Bracken County, Kentucky, on September 9, 1816, Fee’s father owned 13 enslaved men and opposed abolitionism. As a young teenager, Fee converted to Christianity and began supporting anti-slavery and pro-abolition movements. After attending Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio, Fee became an outspoken abolitionist and vowed to always “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” 

The Call to Serve

Fee was often faced with oppression for supporting equality movements towards African Americans and abolition. This oppression forced Fee, his wife Matilda, and children to leave Kentucky for some time, only to return to Berea in 1864 during the Civil War. In 1864, enslaved African American men and their families were flooding recruitment centers across the nation in hopes to self-emancipate. Camp Nelson in Nicholasville became the largest black recruitment center in the state of Kentucky and an asylum for refugees, opening a door for Fee to become involved with efforts to emancipate and educate African Americans. It was at Camp Nelson where Fee began teaching and preaching to former enslaved individuals and heard their pleas for safety and security.

The Home for Colored Refugees

During the second half of 1864, numerous expulsions of the wives and children of USCT soldiers occurred at Camp Nelson. Diligently, Fee worked with the camp commandment and quartermaster to apply for government funds to build facilities for the soldiers and refugees.

After the final expulsion in November 1864 that claimed the lives of 102 refugees, including the wives and children of Black soldiers, the Home for Colored Refugees was established when word of the expulsion was published in eastern newspapers and reached the halls of Congress. Arrangements for a school, barracks, a hospital, and cottages were created by Fee along with arrangements for teachers and preachers to better support day-to-day operations. Fee continued to assist with the Home for Colored Refugees through the many trials and tribulations encountered, including the order issued by the Freedmen’s Bureau to close the Home and relocate refugees beginning in August 1865.

In 1868, the Fees, especially Matilda, used their personal funds to purchase lots at the former Home for Colored Refugees which they sold to USCT veterans and their families. In addition to purchasing the property, Fee aided in the construction of a church and school which became known as the Ariel Academy.

A Lasting Legacy

Today, you can visit the community formerly known as “Ariel” but has since been renamed as “Hall.” The Fee Memorial Church, managed by the National Park Service, was named in honor of John and Matilda Fee and their efforts at Camp Nelson. The church was constructed in 1912 and is the only remaining public building left from the community’s peak of development in the 1910s.

Fee passed away on January 9, 1901. Consistently creating a community for refugees at Camp Nelson, much can be said about the possibilities he opened for refugees as they started a new chapter of life. On April 14, 1868, Fee wrote a friend about the impact of his time here, stating with justifiable pride, “I have succeeded at Camp Nelson.” Fee’s legacy continues here at Camp Nelson National Monument, the 418^th unit of the National Park Service.