Camp Nelson National Monument

08/29/2026

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The National Park Service (NPS) has fully administered Camp Nelson National Monument, formerly Camp Nelson Heritage Park managed by Jessamine County, Kentucky, since 2021. Over the past 5 years, we've been fortunate to develop this new unit of the National Park System with passionate, dedicated, and inspired staff. Dozens of staffers from around the country have worked here. From student interns to volunteers to park rangers, our team have created many and we're thrilled to honor all of them, past and present, today.

Go! Go! Power Rangers!



IMAGE: NPS staff at Camp Nelson National Monument, 2021-26. Courtesy: NPS

08/28/2026

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With over 400 National Park Service sites of different sizes, shapes, and kinds - there is a lot to celebrate! Each year a week in April is set aside to help visitors explore and engage with their National Parks and public lands.

Camp Nelson served as a bastion of freedom for thousands of people during the Civil War. Refugees escaping slavery and war traveled here in search of protection, new opportunities, and the hope to self-determine their futures.

According to Reverend John G. Fee, abolitionist, minister, and founder of Berea College:

"Camp Nelson was the rendezvous of soldiery and birthplace of liberty to Kentucky. It is hallowed in the minds of thousands."

It remains relevant and revered today.



IMAGES:
1] US Colored Troops at the Recruiting Rendezvous at Camp Nelson (National Archives)
2] William Wright, 114th US Colored Infantry (LOC)
3] Home for Colored Refugees at Camp Nelson (University of Kentucky)
4] Samuel Truehart, 5th US Colored Cavalry (David Brown)

08/26/2026

“I woke up like this." 🦅🇺🇸

continues with . Camp Nelson National Monument is excited to share a new “Weekly Wildlife Board” that will stand in front of the Visitor Center to highlight the wildlife visitors are seeing at our park! Please feel free to come inside and share what you are seeing on the trails.

We would love to see your photos! Comment below with your favorite wildlife photos taken at the park!

As part of the B.A.R.K Ranger program, we remind visitors to clean up after their pets and keep a safe distance from wildlife. Camp Nelson has 5 miles of hiking trails that are all dog friendly. Stop by the Visitor Center with your pup to collect a Bark Ranger Badge!

Park

IMAGE: Bald Eagle perched on a tree. Courtesy: NPS /AG

08/25/2026

Happy Birthday National Park Service (NPS)! 🎂🏕🥾

On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act creating the National Park Service, a new federal bureau in the U.S. Department of the Interior responsible for protecting the 35 national parks and monuments then managed by the department and those yet to be established. The "Organic Act" states that "the Service thus established shall promote and regulate the use of the Federal areas known as national parks, monuments and reservations…by such means and measures as conform to the fundamental purpose of the said parks, monuments and reservations, which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

The National Park System of the United States now comprises more than 439 areas covering more than 84 million acres in 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands. Camp Nelson National Monument is the 418th unit of the National Park System!

We thank the Camp Nelson Foundation - Friends group for Camp Nelson National Monument, especially President Steve Menefee and Susan W. for the 🎂 to celebrate this special anniversary!



IMAGE:
NPS staff and members of the Camp Nelson Foundation at the park on August 25, 2026. Courtesy: NPS/GB

08/25/2026

It's. Our. Birthday! We know... we don't look a day over 100. 🎂🥳💚

Today, the National Park Service (NPS) celebrates its 110th birthday. On this day in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act, officially establishing the National Park Service. It's been our honor to preserve, protect, and interpret our nation's natural and cultural resources for generations of Americans.

As we celebrate we invite the public to celebrate the NPS by visiting Camp Nelson National Monument or any of the 433 NPS sites located across the nation. We're looking forward to another 110 years!



IMAGE: Major General William "Bull" Nelson, the site's namesake, celebrates the NPS! Courtesy: NPS/GB

08/22/2026

is here!

Each day features a special theme that highlights the significance of each NPS unit! Stay tuned for our special posts!

08/19/2026

🚨Special Update🚨

The National Park Service (NPS) is excited to share an update on the Fee Church Parking Lot Project! The parking lot and sidewalk have been paved! This drastically improves accessibility to the site. The stripping will be done in the coming days to complete the project.

The NPS administers 7-acre at the former Home for Colored Refugees, including the Fee Memorial Church, as part of Camp Nelson National Monument. The project is part of our short and long-term goals to restore the historic landscape and increase accessibility to park resources. The church was named in honor of Reverend John G. Fee, abolitionist minister and founder of Berea College who supported African American refugees at Camp Nelson during the Civil War.

Learn more about the Fee Memorial Church HERE:
https://www.nps.gov/.../community-of-ariel-hall-and-fee...



IMAGE:
The Fee Memorial Church Parking Project at Camp Nelson National Monument. NPS/TF and SP

08/16/2026

Knoxville or Bust: The Grand Campaign Begins

On August 16, 1863, the Army of the Ohio departed Camp Nelson and marched south along Lexington-Danville Turnpike. The East Tennessee Campaign--a miliary offensive long desired by President Abraham Lincoln, Military Governor of Tennessee Andrew Johnson, and civilians Unionists--was finally in motion.

According to Major General Ambrose E. Burnside, the army consisted of 14,000 men of the Twenty-third Corps under the command of Major General George L. Hartsuff. The veteran Ninth Corps, suffering from heavy service at Vicksburg in June-July, was assigned a reserve role.
The direct route from Camp Nelson to Knoxville, Tennessee ran through Cumberland Gap, but the defensible pass through the Cumberland Mountains was occupied by Confederate forces. Rather than attack Cumberland Gap in his movement south, Burnside instead chose to flank the position. The Army of the Ohio was divided into two major marching columns: Burnside led one column through Crab Orchard, London, and Williamsburg, Kentucky, to Montgomery, Tennessee; Hartsuff moved his command through Somerset, Kentucky and Chitwood, Tennessee to meet at Montgomery.

It was 160-miles from Camp Nelson to Knoxville.

Learn more about the East Tennessee Campaign HERE:

https://www.nps.gov/cane/knoxville-campaign.htm



IMAGE:
Living historians portraying US soldiers marching down the modern Loop 2 Road outside of Camp Nelson National Monument, August 2023. Courtesy: National Park Service/BT

08/13/2026

These Honored Dead 🇺🇸

National Park Service Announces Planned Interment of Civil War Soldier Recovered at Manassas National Battlefield Park

Archaeological study complete as NPS prepares to transfer remains of young Union soldier recovered at Manassas

More than 160 years after he likely fought in the Second Battle of Manassas, a young Union soldier recovered during archaeological excavations at Manassas National Battlefield Park is one step closer to receiving the honors afforded to those who served their country.

The National Park Service today announced its plan to transfer the soldier's remains to the Office of Army Cemeteries following the completion of archaeological study and documentation, consistent with its responsibilities under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

The soldier was discovered during professional archaeological excavations conducted in March 2024 at the site of a Civil War field hospital within Manassas National Battlefield Park. Archaeologists were investigating an area associated with the Second Battle of Manassas when they uncovered the nearly complete burial of a Union soldier, along with a historic rubber pocket comb. The excavation also recovered four surgically amputated limbs from wounded soldiers treated at the hospital during the battle.

Analysis indicates the soldier was approximately 16 to 19 years old and likely fought during the Second Battle of Manassas in August 1862, one of the largest and most significant engagements of the Civil War.

"Every soldier who fought on this battlefield has a story, even if we may never know their name," said Superintendent Kristofer Butcher. "It has been our privilege and responsibility to care for these remains with dignity, guided by science, respect, and our commitment to preserving America's history. We are honored that this soldier will now receive a final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery."

The planned transfer reflects the National Park Service's dual responsibility to preserve and study archaeological resources while treating human remains with dignity and respect. The National Park Service remains committed to preserving America's battlefield history, advancing archaeological research, and honoring those who served.

Supporting documentation will be available for public review through the National Park Service Planning, Environment and Public Comment website from Aug. 13, 2026, through Sept. 4, 2026, consistent with the public notice requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

For more information, visit: https://home.nps.gov/mana/learn/news/national-park-service-announces-planned-interment-of-civil-war-soldier-recovered-at-manassas-national-battlefield-park.htm

Image Text: Soldiers from the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Regiment, the "Old Guard" carry flag covered caskets of two Union soldiers discovered in the Manassas National Battlefield Park in 2018 during the transfer ceremony before their interment in Arlington National Cemetery. A park ranger salutes in the background.

08/11/2026

"General Burnside has left Lexington for Camp Nelson this evening."
Captain Charles R. Thompson, Aide-de-Camp,

On the evening of August 11, 1863, Major General Ambrose E. Burnside, commander of the Army of the Ohio, arrived at Camp Nelson, and made his temporary headquarters at Cliffs Cottage at Polly's Bend on the Kentucky River located northwest of the base. Burnside departed his headquarters at Cincinnati a few days prior and arrived in Central Kentucky ready launch the long-awaited East Tennessee Campaign.

The Army of the Ohio massed supplies, ordnance, forage, and animals at Camp Nelson for their arduous march into the East Tennessee. The newly organized Twenty-third Army Corps led the army's offensive; the Ninth Corps, depleted by hard service at Vicksburg, arrived at Covington, Kentucky, and was placed in a reserve role.

On August 14, Burnside issued General Field Orders No. 2 from the camp, detailing his expectations for the army during the campaign, especially their treatment of civilians and the protection of private property. The orders concluded "with appropriate prayers for the protection and assistance of Divine Providence." The Army of the Ohio, numbering 14,000 men, departed Camp Nelson 2 days later bound for Knoxville.



IMAGE: Major General Ambrose E. Burnside, standing in front of his tent adorned with Ninth Corps flags in 1864. Courtesy: Library of Congress