{"id":"nps-cane","slug":"camp-nelson-national-monument","name":"Camp Nelson National Monument","designation":"National Monument","category":"national-monument","categoryLabel":"National Monument","agency":{"code":"NPS","name":"National Park Service","department":"U.S. Department of the Interior","url":"https://www.nps.gov"},"managedBy":[{"code":"NPS","name":"National Park Service","department":"U.S. Department of the Interior","url":"https://www.nps.gov","unitCode":"CANE","designation":"National Monument","sourceId":"nps-cane"}],"states":["KY"],"stateNames":["Kentucky"],"location":{"lat":37.7970179913,"lon":-84.598168306},"bbox":[-84.6151,37.7839,-84.5833,37.8004],"acres":{"value":439,"kind":"gis-estimate","source":"Computed from the simplified boundary","note":"Approximate. The managing agency publishes official acreage."},"firstProtected":null,"established":null,"administrations":[],"designationHistory":[],"summary":"The US Army established Camp Nelson as a fortified supply depot in April 1863. Over the next 3 years, the site evolved into a massive recruitment and training center for United States Colored Troops and a refugee camp for their families. It served as a shelter for civilians fleeing war and for enslaved people hoping to secure their freedom and aid in the destruction of slavery.","summarySource":"National Park Service","guide":{},"trConnection":null,"trConnections":[],"trTypes":[],"links":{"official":"https://www.nps.gov/cane/index.htm","social":{},"recreationGov":null,"alltrails":null,"alltrailsExplore":"https://www.alltrails.com/explore?b_tl_lat=37.8004&b_tl_lng=-84.6151&b_br_lat=37.7839&b_br_lng=-84.5833","recreationGovSearch":"https://www.recreation.gov/search?q=Camp%20Nelson%20National%20Monument","directions":"http://www.nps.gov/cane/planyourvisit/directions.htm"},"cover":{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/90265CF2-ADE6-04D6-1CDC533B004D9746.jpg","title":"Camp Nelson National Monument Visitor Center","alt":"A paved path leads to a gray wooden building with US Flag flying.","credit":"NPS/A. Goetz","license":"Public domain (U.S. government work)","licenseUrl":null,"filePage":"https://www.nps.gov/cane/index.htm","tier":1,"source":"National Park Service"},"images":[{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/90265CF2-ADE6-04D6-1CDC533B004D9746.jpg","title":"Camp Nelson National Monument Visitor Center","alt":"A paved path leads to a gray wooden building with US Flag flying.","credit":"NPS/A. Goetz","license":"Public domain (U.S. government work)","licenseUrl":null,"filePage":"https://www.nps.gov/cane/index.htm","source":"National Park Service","cover":true},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/F84E900E-AF3F-36C3-041A1C2A4F402B94.jpg","title":"Annual Luminaria at Graveyard No. 1","alt":"A stone obelisk in a grass field surrounded by luminary bags","caption":"4th Annual Luminaria and Memorial Walk","credit":"NPS/AG","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/F8AFA3ED-B997-7BE1-8DD6CDF3C7FF91CB.jpg","title":"Explore Camp Nelson National Monument!","alt":"NPS Directional Sign at Camp Nelson National Monument","caption":"NPS Directional Sign at Camp Nelson National Monument","credit":"NPS/SP","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/F86F2B44-BA60-37FF-25DA1D7AC727FD09.jpg","title":"160th Anniversary of the East Tennessee Campaign","alt":"Living historians portraying US soldiers in a grass field with a wagon.","caption":"160th Anniversary of the East Tennessee Campaign, August 2023","credit":"NPS/BT","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/119F3F0E-B0B2-A7CA-B9FAEA96181BD118.jpg","title":"Camp Nelson National Monument's Pastoral Landscape","alt":"Open fields of green grass with trees during a colorful sunrise.","caption":"View of Camp Nelson's pastoral landscape looking northeast near the Visitor Center.","credit":"NPS/SP","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/904F0DFA-BAA1-A135-3E90B02C269E5D41.jpg","title":"Interior of Soldiers' Barrack Building","alt":"A row of rough, wooden bunk beds in the soldiers' barrack house.","caption":"Visit the barracks to imagine life at Camp Nelson during the Civil War.","credit":"NPS/ A. Goetz","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/AA6B7615-AE22-7890-A0DD3E829F771918.jpg","title":"Perry House","alt":"A white, 2 story farm house with a Civil War cannon sitting in front of it","caption":"The Perry House at Camp Nelson","credit":"NPS Photo","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/F8C47A44-08D8-4D29-14CBE28EDFDE8F33.jpg","title":"Defenses of Camp Nelson","alt":"2 cannons at an earthen fort","caption":"Replica cannons at Fort Putnam","credit":"NPS/SP","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/D068BF45-A97E-5856-E4076C3A9D42568E.jpg","title":"Load. Ready. Fire!","alt":"Living historians firing cannons in a grass field.","caption":"Living historians firing cannons in a grass field.","credit":"NPS","source":"NPS"}],"activities":["Hiking","Front-Country Hiking","Junior Ranger Program","Park Film","Museum Exhibits"],"topics":["African American Heritage","Burial, Cemetery and Gravesite","National Cemetery","Enslavement","Forts","Military","Infantry and Militia","Artillery","Cavalry","US Army","Monuments and Memorials","Reconstruction","Social Movements","Abolition Movement","Civil Rights","Tragic Events","Forced Marches","Wars and Conflicts","Civil War","Women's History","Trails"],"fees":[],"passes":[],"hours":[{"name":"Camp Nelson National Monument","description":"The grounds featuring nearly 5-miles of unpaved trails and dozens of wayside exhibits explaining the significance of Camp Nelson, are open 7-days a week from sunrise to sunset. \n\nThe Visitor Center is currently open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.","standardHours":{"wednesday":"Sunrise to Sunset","monday":"Sunrise to Sunset","thursday":"Sunrise to Sunset","sunday":"Sunrise to Sunset","tuesday":"Sunrise to Sunset","friday":"Sunrise to Sunset","saturday":"Sunrise to Sunset"},"exceptions":[]}],"directions":"Camp Nelson National Monument is located along US 27 about 20 miles south of Lexington, Kentucky, 6 miles south of Nicholasville on US 27, and 16 miles north of Danville, KY on US 27. The Park entrance is on the original Danville Pike, adjacent to US 27, one mile north of the Camp Nelson National Cemetery.","weatherInfo":"Kentucky has a moderate climate, where summers are humid with highs typically in the upper 80s, and winter highs are in the low 40s. Of course, be aware of the possibility of storms or more extreme temperatures on occasion. The wettest months are March - July when about 4 inches of rain per month are expected, with other months of the year are usually drier.","contacts":{"phone":"(859) 881-5716","email":"cane_info@nps.gov"},"visitorCenters":[{"name":"Camp Nelson National Monument Visitor Center, Museum, and Barracks","description":"The Visitor Center, Museum, and Reconstructed Barracks are currently open 5-days a week, Wednesday through Sunday. Operating hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Visitor Center provides an orientation to the events that unfolded at Camp Nelson through exhibits and a 17-minute film. The Reconstructed Barracks features the award-winning Network to Freedom and Soldiers Exhibit.","url":"https://www.nps.gov/cane/index.htm","lat":37.797005,"lon":-84.600577}],"campgrounds":[],"thingsToDo":[],"nearby":[{"slug":"daniel-boone-national-forest","km":69},{"slug":"mill-springs-battlefield-national-monument","km":82},{"slug":"abraham-lincoln-birthplace-national-historical-park","km":97},{"slug":"big-south-fork-national-river-and-recreation-area","km":140},{"slug":"william-howard-taft-national-historic-site","km":147},{"slug":"big-oaks-national-wildlife-refuge","km":147}],"hasBoundary":true,"boundarySource":{"name":"NPS Land Resources Division","url":"https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2224545"},"sources":[{"name":"NPS Data API","url":"https://developer.nps.gov/api/v1/parks?parkCode=cane"},{"name":"NPS Land Resources Division boundaries","url":"https://services1.arcgis.com/fBc8EJBxQRMcHlei/arcgis/rest/services/NPS_Land_Resources_Division_Boundary_and_Tract_Data_Service/FeatureServer/2"}],"editorialStatus":"draft","synced":"2026-11-09T02:12:45.608Z","alerts":[{"source":"NWS","kind":"Frost Advisory","severity":"Minor","title":"Frost Advisory issued November 8 at 9:37PM EST until November 9 at 10:00AM EST by NWS Louisville KY","text":"* WHAT...Temperatures as low as 34 will result in frost formation.\n\n* WHERE...Portions of south central Indiana and east central, north\ncentral, northwest, and south central Kentucky.\n\n* WHEN...Until 10 AM EST /9 AM CST/ Monday.\n\n* IMPACTS...Frost could harm sensitive outdoor vegetation. Sensitive\noutdoor plants may be killed if left uncovered.","instruction":"Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.","url":"https://alerts.weather.gov/search?id=urn%3Aoid%3A2.49.0.1.840.0.e609f4cebca64deb8e03d1b904cce68d91feb0af.001.1","starts":"2026-11-09T00:00:00-05:00","ends":"2026-11-09T10:00:00-05:00","id":"nws-urn:oid:2.49.0.1.840.0.e609f4cebca64deb8e03d1b904cce68d91feb0af.001.1"}],"url":"https://directory.labs.trlibrary.com/sites/camp-nelson-national-monument/","boundaryUrl":"https://directory.labs.trlibrary.com/boundaries/camp-nelson-national-monument.geojson"}