camp nelson civil war heritage park

Camp Nelson is a great place to stretch your legs, learn more about the Civil War, and get some fresh air. The grounds are huge, perfect for getting away from the business of the city for a peaceful afternoon.

I liked the fact that you have an experienced tour guide. Some of the history is about civil war soldiers and slaves.

I was recently at the park over the weekend doing basic search and rescue training. This park is great for family's that want to get out but not to far from home if you live in central Ky. There are some forts that are interesting and a great way to learn of the battle that happened there. Also its not to crowded due to it not being highly marketed.

This spot is a bit off the beaten path but very much worth visiting. Although almost all of the camp was torn down shortly after the Civil War, they have a very nicely done interpretative center to show what life was like for those either serving in the Union army, or staying at the camp as a refugee. You can walk the grounds at your leisure, and the countryside is beautiful. Great way to spend a couple of hours.

Located about 20 miles south of Lexington, Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park preserves the site of a huge, state-of-the art Union camp and supply depot, the staging area for the 1863 Federal invasion of East Tennessee. It was also a major recruitment/training camp for African-American soldiers (the third largest in the nation) and a refugee camp for their families. The treatment of these civilian refugees by the Federal officers was alternately appalling and uplifting. Many of the black soldiers who trained here went on to serve in the post-war West, where they became famous as the "Buffalo Soldiers." The modern park preserves the central portion of the original 4,000-acre camp.. It is criss-crossed with easy walking trails along which are interpretive markers. The Greek-Revival mansion that served as the officers' quarters is open for tours. The visitors center features a professional-looking introductory video and contains a small, but well-executed museum depicting the Federal soldiers' camp life. A display about the archaeology of Camp Nelson will be especially interesting to any young "Indiana Jones" who come to visit. The staff is knowledgeable and upholds Kentucky's reputation for hospitality. Visitors to the park should take the time to drive a short distance south to take a look at the 500-foot palisades along the Kentucky River. It was this natural defensive feature that accounts for the selection of this location for the Union camp. Though it was not the scene of a bloody battle, Camp Nelson makes for an interesting half-day-trip for anyone who is interested in gaining a more complete understanding of the experience of Federal soldiers during the Civil War.

A very small but ectremely interesting civil war training camp. The museum offers a compact look at Civil War life. If you are interested in the 1850's and are traveling on US 127 or are anywhere near Nicholasville stop at Camp Nelson and spend an hour or two.

This is a county park so expectations are low but there is a surprisingly professional visitor center and expansive grounds that tell an interesting story about the Civil War in Kentucky.

In 1863 their were 300 buildings at Camp Nelson. Today their are only a few, one is the visitor center & museum, the other is called the white house which is original and was used by the union army. Not much to see outside but inside is a different story. The museum is small but interesting with many pictures of the camp and it's inhabitants. The third largest group of African-American troops were trained here and many of their families lived here as well. You can tour the white house but only on certain days. Whatever you do don't miss the film at the visitor center. I have seen many historical films and this one is really outstanding, very thorough in it's explanation of what took place here and it's implications to the war. It's free and worth your time.

I was visiting all of the Lincoln Heritage Trail sites around Kentucky and headed out to Camp Nelson, the site closest to my house. Typically, this site is free to visit and you can explore the museum, tour the White House and walk on the interpretive trails. A great outdoorsy site, and a great free site – a place I definitely plan to return to just walk around and enjoy the rolling countryside. Today however, was a little bit different… because my visit happened to fall on the first day of ‘Civil War Days’ at Camp Nelson! For a small $3 I got to see the camp in full swing with re-enactors, soldiers camps set up, fires burning, guns firing, horses tied up along the fences and even musicians playing on the porch of the White House. It was a really fun, and more engaging than normal way to experience the park! They even had a visit from one of many contemporary Lincolns re-enacting his meeting with Frederick Douglass!This was actually my first time going through the newly completed museum inside a modern building disguised as a barn, to blend with the historic landscape. It is a nicely done museum with life size replicas showing soldier’s camps, a field hospital, refugees quarters and more. Close to a lot of different towns, Camp Nelson is definitely worth visiting because it has such a unique story to tell.It was the largest African American recruitment camp in Kentucky and the third largest in the nation during the Civil War – and therefore was important to Lincoln whose policies helped make it possible for slaves to find freedom through military enlistment. In addition the men volunteering for service, their families often came with them or followed them to Camp Nelson – another very interesting and unique story that is told at this site that you will not really get anywhere else. Also a story that maybe a lot of people are unaware of… I personally enjoyed this site for that reason – to learn some really interesting American history and local history that I didn’t know a whole lot about before. It’s also just a nice spot to visit.The White House on the property was actually a house that was there – and used by the Union Army when they established a camp on the property of the home owners! It was recently restored and is worth touring if you are visiting the Camp. Just south is the cemetery, dedicated for the Union dead in 1867 – it is still a military cemetery.