Camp Nelson National Monument Announces November Hours and Calendar

News Release Date:
November 2, 2024

Contact:Steve T. Phan, 859-382-6902

National Park Service News Release
Release Date: Immediate
Contact: Steve T. Phan, 859-382-6902, e-mail us
Camp Nelson National Monument Announces November Hours and Calendar
NICHOLASVILLE, KY - The National Park Service (NPS) is excited to announce the fall hours and the October calendar at Camp Nelson National Monument. The park's Visitor Center, Museum, and Reconstructed Barracks are open 5-days a week, Wednesday through Sunday. The buildings are open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The grounds remain open sunrise to sunset 7-days a week.
The Visitor Center will be open and staffed for the first time on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11th from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. All buildings will be closed on Tuesday, November 12th, and reopen for normal operating hours on Wednesday, November 13th.
The November Calendar features 4 major events:
Saturday, November 2nd and November 16th: Fall History Hikes
(10:00 am - 12:00 pm)
Join the 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.

Saturday, November 9th: Camp Nelson National Cemetery Civil War Tour
(11:00 am - 12:30 pm)

The NPS, in partnership with the Department of Veteran Affairs, is organizing a guided tour of Camp Nelson National Cemetery. This program delves into the history of the national cemetery system, the 1866 origins of the cemetery at Camp Nelson, and the individual stories of the soldiers and civilians interred here.
The program is free and open to the public.
Meet NPS staff outside the cemetery caretaker lodge and visitor center.
Camp Nelson National Cemetery
6980 Danville Road
Nicholasville, KY 40356
Saturday, November 23rd: 4th Annual Luminaria and Memorial Walk
(4:30 pm - 6:00 pm)
The NPS invites you to participate in the 4th Annual Luminaria and Memorial Walk to mark the 160th anniversary of Camp Nelson's largest expulsion.
On November 23, 1864, the US Army forcibly expelled 400 African American refugees from the camp during a winter storm, including the wives and children of US Colored Troops [USCT]. It was at least the ninth and largest expulsion of Black refugees from the base and resulted in the deaths of at least 102 souls. The November Expulsion led to the establishment of the Home for Colored Refugees at Camp Nelson and the Congressional act which emancipated the wives and children of USCT soldiers.
The special event features interpretive talks by NPS staff and invited guests, including keynote speaker Professor and Poet Frank X Walker, and a guided walk to Graveyard No. 1, where over 400 luminaries will be light to honor the people expelled and other freedom seekers who sought refuge at Camp Nelson.
The program begins outside the Barracks building, located adjacent to the Visitor Center and Museum.

#FindYourPark

Camp Nelson National Monument, the 418th unit of the National Park Service, is located six miles south of Nicholasville, KY on Highway 27 and directly north of the Camp Nelson National Cemetery. For more information, visit the park's website at: www.nps.gov/cane or the park's Facebook page at https:www.facebook.com/CampNelsonNPS.

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 431 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

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