Camp Nelson National Monument

A Geologic Story

Kentucky Geological Survey | Interactive Tour 5, Series 13, 2020 | by William Andrews and Doug Curl

Camp Nelson National Monument is administered by the National Park Service. Please visit the  Camp Nelson National Monument website  for current information regarding park visits.

Some locations referred to in this StoryMap and virtual field trip are on private land; please do not trespass on private property.

Introduction

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History and Geology of Camp Nelson

View this scrolling slideshow for an overview of the Camp Nelson history and its relation to the geologic setting.

Tour of Camp Nelson

This map tour explores the rich historical and geologic sites of Camp Nelson

Camp Nelson National Cemetery

The Camp Nelson National Cemetery was established after the Civil War. Originally, soldiers who died in central Kentucky during the war were interred there. The cemetery is still active, and has become the final resting place for soldiers from every major American conflict from the Civil War to the present.

Camp Nelson National Cemetery, located directly south of Camp Nelson National Monument. Photo by W. Andrews, KGS.

Further Information and Credits

For current information about access to and activities at Camp Nelson National Monument, as well as useful background on the site, please visit:  www.nps.gov/cane .

For more information about African American refugee life in the Civil War:  “Embattled Freedom” by Amy Murrell Taylor, 2018, University of North Carolina Press.  (Dr. Taylor is currently on the faculty of the University of Kentucky Department of History.)

Acknowledgments

Ernie Price, Superintendent, Camp Nelson National Monument.

Wayne Hayden, facilities manager, Jessamine County river parks.

Peggy McClintock, Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park.

Steven McBride, former director of interpretation, Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park.

Deirdre Skaggs, associate dean, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.

William C. Haneberg, State Geologist and Director, Kentucky Geological Survey.

Content and Photos

William Andrews, Kentucky Geological Survey

Design

Douglas Curl, Kentucky Geological Survey

Editor

Meg Smath, Kentucky Geological Survey

Camp Nelson National Cemetery, located directly south of Camp Nelson National Monument. Photo by W. Andrews, KGS.