Camp Nelson National Monument

For other places named Camp Nelson, see Camp Nelson.
Camp Nelson National Monument
Camp Nelson in 2008
Camp Nelson National Monument is located in Kentucky
Camp Nelson National Monument
Camp Nelson National Monument is located in the United States
Camp Nelson National Monument
LocationJessamine County, Kentucky, U.S.
Nearest cityNicholasville, Kentucky
Coordinates37°47′16″N 84°35′53″W / 37.78778°N 84.59806°W / 37.78778; -84.59806
ArchitectU.S. Army of the Ohio Eng. Corps; Simpson, Lt.Col. J.H.
Architectural styleGreek Revival
WebsiteCamp Nelson National Monument
NRHP reference No.00000861 (NRHP),[1] 13000286 (NHL)[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 15, 2001
Designated NHLDFebruary 27, 2013[2]
Designated NMONOctober 26, 2018

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.[3]

On October 26, 2018, President Donald Trump proclaimed the site as Camp Nelson National Monument,[4] 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.[5]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "WEEKLY LIST OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON PROPERTIES: 3/25/13 THROUGH 3/29/13". National Park Service. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  3. ^ Strecker p. 39.
  4. ^ "Presidential Proclamation on the Establishment of the Camp Nelson National Monument - The White House". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 28 October 2018 – via National Archives.
  5. ^ "Camp Nelson". American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved June 20, 2023.