Camp Nelson National Monument

Join the National Park Service (NPS) as we usher in a new season with a series of Fall History Hikes at Camp Nelson National Monument. NPS staff will lead visitors on a guided hike to explore the site’s rich natural and historic resources, especially Camp Nelson’s role is a supply depot, recruit center, and refugee site during the Civil War, and the modern preservation of the park.   The hike will be conducted on paved and grass paths and will involve moderate inclines. Participants should wear comfortable hiking shoes and bring water.   Meet NPS staff at the Visitor Center.

Join the National Park Service (NPS) for the 5th Annual Winter Lecture Series at Camp Nelson National Monument! The special programs feature guest speakers who present on a variety of topic related to the Civil War Era. The presentations take place at the park's Reconstructed Barracks on select Saturdays. The programs are free and open to the public.   January 17, 2026
11:00 AM - An Army of Benevolence: The US Sanitary Commission at Camp Nelson   At the outbreak of the Civil War while thousands of soldiers joined the US Army, even more women and civilians joined together to support them. Members of the US Sanitary Commission would go on to serve on the battlefield, in hospitals, and at military camps like Camp Nelson   Ava Goetz, Lead Interpretive Park Ranger at Camp Nelson National Monument, delivers the program.     Camp Nelson National Monument
6614 Danville Road Loop 2
Nicholasville, KY 40356

Join the National Park Service (NPS) for the 5th Annual Winter Lecture Series at Camp Nelson National Monument! The special programs feature guest speakers who present on a variety of topic related to the Civil War Era. The presentations take place at the park's Reconstructed Barracks on select Saturdays. The programs are free and open to the public.   February 21, 2026
11:00 AM - Women and Landscapes of Power at Camp Nelson   Between 1864 and 1872, African American refugees of Camp Nelson used their agency to take control of their lives away post-emancipation. By using the landscape, and the resources within the army base, women created food, money, education, and safety for themselves and their families.   Dr. Sarah Stapleton, Historian and Administrative Assistant at Camp Nelson National Monument, delivers the program.   Camp Nelson National Monument
6614 Danville Road Loop 2
Nicholasville, KY 40356

Join the National Park Service (NPS) for the 5th Annual Winter Lecture Series at Camp Nelson National Monument! The special programs feature guest speakers who present on a variety of topic related to the Civil War Era. The presentations take place at the park's Reconstructed Barracks on select Saturdays. The programs are free and open to the public.   March 28, 2026
11:00 AM - "As Humanity Will Permit": The Closing of Camp Nelson in 1865-66   The US Army officially deactivated Camp Nelson in 1866 after the Civil War. The base was dismantled, the materials of war were removed, and most US soldiers were mustered out of service. However, the future for US Colored Troops soldiers and their families and other recently emancipated people was uncertain, precarious, and deadly as unofficial reconstruction emerges in post-war Kentucky.   Steve T. Phan, Chief of Interpretation, Education, and Visitor Services at Camp Nelson National Monument, delivers the program.   Camp Nelson National Monument
6614 Danville Road Loop 2
Nicholasville, KY 40356

Join the National Park Service (NPS) for the first evening program of the year at Camp Nelson National Monument starting at 7:00 pm on Saturday, April 4, 2026! 

NPS staff will explore the experience of 17 US Army soldiers who served in units organized at Camp Nelson and were sentenced to hard labor and imprisonment at Fort Jefferson in Florida during the Civil War. Today, the masonry fort is managed by the NPS as part of Dry Tortugas National Park. 

The campfire program is free and open to the public and will take place in the field adjacent to the Visitor Center and Museum. Visitors should bring camping chairs. 

For more information, please contact the park at 859-881-5716 or you can send us an email at cane_info@nps.gov  

The National Park Service (NPS) at Camp Nelson National Monument and Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument, in partnership with sites and organizations in Kentucky and Ohio, including the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, Brigadier General Charles Young Foundation, Kentucky African American Heritage Trail, Brigadier General Charles Young Memorial Historical Corridor, Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, City of Maysville, Visit Maysville, Mason County Fiscal Court, John Rankin House, John P. Parker House invite you to celebrate the life and legacy of Brigadier General Charles Young and the Young family.

The event commemorates the 160th Anniversary of the Gabriel Young's discharge after serving in the 5th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery during the Civil War and the establishment of the Black Regular regiments in the U.S. Army, also known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The program features presentations by guests and historians, informational tents, children's activities, and a food truck.

The program is free and open to the public.

Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026

Time: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location: 

Brigadier General Charles Young Birthplace Cabin

6319 Helena Rd, May's Lick, KY 41055

 

Join the National Park Service (NPS) for the 6th Annual Park Day at Camp Nelson National Monument!

Since 1996, the American Battlefield Trust (ABT) has sponsored Park Day as an annual preservation event for Civil War and Revolutionary War sites throughout the country. Park staff and volunteers work together on much-needed maintenance and preservation projects.

We’re calling for volunteers to assist us with completing the Camp Nelson Cannon Project. Prior to Park Day, NPS staff will place 8 new cannons along the Northern Fortification Line. On April 25, 2026, we’ll finish painting the cannon carriages and formally dedicate the new additions to the park with a short ceremony.

Volunteers should wear clothes for painting and bring a water bottle. Meet NPS staff at the Visitor Center. 

If you're interested in participating, please RSVP by emailing the park at cane_info@nps.gov

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