Camp Nelson National Monument: Our Kentucky Kick Off to National Park Week!

We just got back from our visit to Camp Nelson National Monument – the 66^th of our National Park Unit visits!  Despite a rainy forecast, it was a great time to visit because we got to meet up with our friends at TNA Travels and do some adventuring with them around Louisville, KY!  We also celebrated the start of National Park Week (score!)

What is National Park Week?

National Park Week is a week in April that is proclaimed each year by the President to celebrate our National Parks!  This year, the festivities kicked off on April 20 and will run through April 28.  If you can, get out and explore a park near you!  Don’t know where your nearest park is? Take a look at this map. 

More details on National Park Week is found at the end of this article.

Visiting Camp Nelson National Monument

This year, we kicked off National Park Week at Camp Nelson National Monument in Nicholasville, Kentucky.  It was a cold and rainy day, but the beautiful Interpretive Center was warm and welcoming! During our visit, we deepened our appreciation for this important Union Supply center during the Civil War.

Get your Passport Stamped:

If you don’t already know, we are huge fans of the National Park Passport program.  There are a few stamps that you get at this site. I didn’t get “the best” results as some of the ink ran together.  I do, however, have evidence of visiting our 66^th National Park Unit!

Watch the ~17-minute film:

A film is shown in the Visitor Center that lasts ~17 minutes. It was put together about 20 years ago before the site became a part of the National Park system (in late 2018).  It tells the story of Camp Nelson which was an active Union supply center during the Civil War (June 1863 through June 1866).

While no battles were fought here, this site was populated with soldiers, officers, hospitals, forts, a jail, dining facilities and housing.

Camp Nelson was also the largest recruitment center for African American soldiers during the Civil War.  Black men were offered freedom for serving in the U.S. Army.  The families of these soldiers were also offered freedom from enslavement and made a home in duplexes in a corner of the camp.  In this sense, Camp Nelson served as a Refugee Camp for the families of black soldiers who found work cleaning homes and attending to the stables in the camp.

Unfortunately, a consistent approach to the treatment of the families of black soldiers was not implemented.  A blemish on the story of refuge at the camp involves one officers decision to expel the families of black soldiers from the camp, and burning their homes.  This led to the deaths of some 104 individuals due to disease and exposure.

While not a shiny and spotless history, Camp Nelson preserves the story of the place and the people that lived here during this tumultuous time in the development of our nation.

Explore the interpretive museum

When you visit, make sure to explore the museum that is within the Interpretive Center.  This museum contains a topological map of the area that gives you an idea of the layout of the Camp, as well as several displays that highlight what a supply depot, hospital and duplex would look like.  There are also wagons and cannon that were used that you can see up close.

One aspect that I particularly appreciated was the stories of some of the African American individuals that lived at Camp Nelson.  These stories were written up alongside images of the men that served our country that were based at the camp.

Walk the grounds

Explore the White House:

Our guide indicated that the White House on the grounds could be explored during a typical visit.  However, due to the weather and fluctuating barometric pressure during our visit, the doors were swelled which precluded us from a tour of the house.  Exploring this restored Antebellum home that served as officers quarters would be neat though.

Pick up a Trail Map at the Visitor Center to Check out other places you might want to see:

There are a few miles of trails that are marked that you can hike to see significant sites on the grounds.  Many of the significant landmarks are marked with flags.  One monument stands as a Graveyard Monument that honors the African Americans that served and died at the camp.  Camp Nelson is also the site of a National Cemetery.

More on National Park Week

There are lots of activities planned for the rest of this National Park week.  Check out how you can get involved.

Another way that you can choose to support National Park Week is by giving the National Park Foundation a visit.  This is the non-profit fundraising arm that supports the work of the National Park Service.  Here you can GIVE, SHARE, and JOIN the National Park Foundation.  We are members, and we love the updates that the Foundation provides throughout the year.

We find that National Park Week is a great week to visit the parks (last year we celebrated in Hot Springs, Arkansas).  Like last year, the week coincided with Earth Day which provides another great opportunity to appreciate and celebrate our parks and the role that they play in protecting and preserving our natural environment.

Concluding Thoughts

Enjoy the rest of National Park Week!  Hopefully you will find a park near to explore!  Let us know how you are experiencing National Park Week or if you have other tips for folks visiting Camp Nelson National Monument in the comments below.