Camp Nelson Collaboration
Since 2023, Commemorative Cultures have been collaborating with Camp Nelson National Monument, a National Park Service site in central Kentucky, to explore the history and commemoration of the Black soldiers mustered in there, and the men, women, and children who sought refuge from slavery within its bounds. On this page, we’ll share materials related to our collaboration, updates on our research and outreach work, and opportunities for participation.
Camp Nelson Digital Exhibit
Camp Nelson was one of the nation’s largest recruitment centers for African American troops during the American Civil War, but how it became so is a complicated story. Located in the border state of Kentucky, the encampment was originally established as a supply depot for the Union Army, not a bastion of Black freedom.
Yet over the course of its short existence, Camp Nelson transformed. As it grew in size, its role in the history of emancipation grew too. The Commemorative Cultures and Camp Nelson teams are creating an exhibit which maps that transformation, and the divergent attitudes of federal troops that met the enslaved people who crossed the camp’s borders to self-liberate. Across 10 of Camp Nelson’s key locations, it highlights how Black men and women in the nineteenth-century pursued acts of self-determination that continue to shape definitions of freedom today.
Virtual Tours
In taking you on a virtual tour of Camp Nelson as it looked during the Civil War, our exhibit will also offer insight into the hopes and visions that motivated refugees’ footsteps toward freedom in central Kentucky. Across a selection of locations crucial to the camp’s distinctive role as a wartime supply depot, visitors will learn about the indentured laborers, self-emancipated refugees, and trained Black soldiers who survived their journeys from slavery and made the camp their home. Visitors can explore an interactive sample of the virtual tour placed right next to the text.
Teaching History,
Honouring Memory
Discover a range of educational materials designed to bring the history of Camp Nelson to life. Our resources support teaching about the site’s role in the Civil War, emancipation, and African American military service. Engage students with primary sources, interactive content, and thought-provoking discussions.
Contested Heritage & Public Memory
How to Read a Monument – Design, Form, and Intent (ages 18-22)
Design a Monument (ages 16-22)
With our international audience in mind, we have indicated student skill levels for each lesson using a suggested age range (e.g., ages 11-14, 14-18, 18-22).
Each plan lists learning objectives and skills exercised during the lesson; teachers can use these listings to see how each lesson might promote specific national and/or state/province educational standards, such as the Common Core (U.S.) and the National Curriculum (U.K.).
Becoming an Independent Researcher
Contributing to Commemorative Cultures – A Walk-Through (ages 16-22)
With our international audience in mind, we have indicated student skill levels for each lesson using a suggested age range (e.g., ages 11-14, 14-18, 18-22).
Each plan lists learning objectives and skills exercised during the lesson; teachers can use these listings to see how each lesson might promote specific national and/or state/province educational standards, such as the Common Core (U.S.) and the National Curriculum (U.K.).
The Legacies of Slavery
Who Was John W. Jones? (ages 11-14)
Commemorative Activism and Care with John W. Jones (ages 18-22)
With our international audience in mind, we have indicated student skill levels for each lesson using a suggested age range (e.g., ages 11-14, 14-18, 18-22).
Each plan lists learning objectives and skills exercised during the lesson; teachers can use these listings to see how each lesson might promote specific national and/or state/province educational standards, such as the Common Core (U.S.) and the National Curriculum (U.K.).