Camp Nelson National Monument News ReleaseÂ
For Immediate Release: May 20, 2026Â
Contact:Â cane_info@nps.govÂ
NICHOLASVILLE, Kentucky — Beginning May 25, the visitor center, museum and barracks building of Camp Nelson National Monument will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. The grounds remain open from sunrise to sunset.
2nd Annual Freedom Day FestivalÂ
Camp Nelson National Monument, in partnership with its partners, will host the 2nd Annual Freedom Day Festival on June 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This free event marks the nation’s 250th anniversary by celebrating the Independence Day commemoration organized by African American soldiers and refugees at Camp Nelson on July 4, 1865.
The festival features live music from the Marshall Law Band and the West Louisville Performing Arts Academy, food, arts and crafts, children’s activities, guided talks and walks and cultural demonstrations.
Camp Nelson National Monument is the southern terminus of the Brigadier General Charles Young Memorial Historical Corridor. This 170-mile route goes from Camp Nelson National Monument in Jessamine County to Mays Lick, Kentucky. The route concludes at the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Wilberforce, Ohio. The Freedom Day Festival will feature a special exhibit on Charles Young in the museum by artist Trina Robinson.
The Freedom Day Festival is possible with the support of many organizations: The Camp Nelson Foundation, Huntertown Community Interpretive Park, the National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations, Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, the National Association for Black Veterans, Jessamine County Public Library, Visit Jessamine and the Kentucky Historical Society.
Camp Nelson National Monument, the 418th unit of the National Park Service, is located six miles south of Nicholasville, Kentucky 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/
