Camp Nelson National Monument
Camp Nelson National Monument, formerly the Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park, is a 525-acre (2.12 km2) national monument, historical museum and park located in southern Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Lexington, Kentucky. The American Civil War era camp was established in 1863 as a depot for the Union Army during the Civil War. It became a recruiting ground for new soldiers from Eastern Tennessee and enslaved people, many of whom had fled their living conditions to be soldiers.
Camp Nelson National Monument | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
U.S. National Historic Landmark District | |
U.S. National Monument | |
Camp Nelson in 2008 | |
| Location | Jessamine County, Kentucky, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Nicholasville, Kentucky |
| Coordinates | 37°47′16″N 84°35′53″W |
| Architect | U.S. Army of the Ohio Eng. Corps; Simpson, Lt.Col. J.H. |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Website | Camp Nelson National Monument |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000861 (NRHP), 13000286 (NHL) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | March 15, 2001 |
| Designated NHLD | February 27, 2013 |
| Designated NMON | October 26, 2018 |
On October 26, 2018, President Donald Trump proclaimed the site as Camp Nelson National Monument, the 418th unit of the National Park Service (NPS) system. The Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves' Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund funded the forested portion overlooking Hickman Creek.
The American Battlefield Trust and its partners joined forces in 2018 to help preserve more than 380 acres of Camp Nelson.