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Camp Nelson National Cemetery

Memorials	:	54
Location	:	Nicholasville, Jessamine County, USA
Phone	:	859-885-5727
Coordinate	:	37.7874400, -84.6031800
Description	:	Camp Nelson National Cemetery is located about 15 miles (24 km) south of Lexington, Kentucky. The nearest airport is Blue Grass Airport in Lexington. From there, one can take Man o' War Boulevard east for about five miles to Nicholasville Road. Turn south on Nicholas Road (US27) toward Nicholasville; go about 15 miles, the cemetery will be on the left side, just before the bridge over the Kentucky River. Camp Nelson National Cemetery is open to visitors every day from dawn until dusk. The office and visitor's center is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00am to 4:00pm, except on federal... Read More	Camp Nelson National Cemetery is located about 15 miles (24 km) south of Lexington, Kentucky. The nearest airport is Blue Grass Airport in Lexington. From there, one can take Man o' War Boulevard east for about five miles to Nicholasville Road. Turn south on Nicholas Road (US27) toward Nicholasville; go about 15 miles, the cemetery will be on the left side, just before the bridge over the Kentucky River. Camp Nelson National Cemetery is open to visitors every day from dawn until dusk. The office and visitor's center is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00am to 4:00pm, except on federal holidays. FAX: 859-887-4860 Camp Nelson National Cemetery is located about seven miles southeast of Nicholasville in Jessamine County, Ky. In 1866, the U.S. government appropriated approximately eight acres here to establish a cemetery. Of the original tract, about seven acres became the cemetery proper and the remainder formed a driveway extending from the main entrance to the old Danville Turnpike. An additional acre was purchased in 1874 that adjoined the southeast corner of the cemetery. During the Civil War, Camp Nelson had an important role in supplying the U.S. Army, caring for the sick and wounded and acting as an enlistment station for African-American soldiers. The post was established in 1863 and contained numerous shops for blacksmith work and the construction of wagons and ambulances, as well as buildings for storing supplies and artillery equipment. Camp Nelson included barracks, headquarters buildings and a 700-bed hospital. There were three types of medical facilities on the post: a hospital for military prisoners; an acute general hospital; and the rehabilitation unit. In addition, Camp Nelson served as a major center for the recruitment of black soldiers of the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT). After the war, the base was designated an official refugee camp by the federal government and placed under the direction of the Freedmen’s Bureau. By 1863, the Army had selected a small plot of land next to the hospital as a graveyard for the men who died at Camp Nelson. Life at the military camp was often harsh and men fell victim to disease and common illnesses. A total of 379 men were buried here, designated Graveyard No. 1, between June 1863 and July 1865. A second area, Graveyard No. 2, was later added; it is the present location of the national cemetery. According the cemetery records, approximately 1,180 men were buried here by February 1866. After the end of the Civil War, the federal government initiated a program to locate and reinter Union dead in national cemeteries. As a result, in June and July 1868, a total of 2,023 remains were removed from areas in Kentucky such as Frankfort, Richmond, London and Covington and reinterred at Camp Nelson National Cemetery. Because of the camp’s significance as a USCT recruiting base, a large number of these soldiers are interred at Camp Nelson. The remains of Confederate prisoners of war originally buried at Camp Nelson National Cemetery were all removed, either to the Confederate lot in the cemetery at Nicholasville or local private cemeteries. With the exception of two graves removed from Covington and alleged to be Confederate soldiers, there are no Confederates interred at Camp Nelson. The cemetery has been substantially expanded, although the historic section is enclosed by a stone wall and features a fully restored superintendent’s lodge built in 1870. Camp Nelson National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. Monuments and Memorials The Daughters of the Union erected a granite monument dedicated in the memory of Union Soldiers who fought in the Civil War around 1995. NOTABLE PERSONS Medal of Honor Recipients The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the president on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and eligibility criteria for the Medal of Honor have changed over time. Recipients buried or memorialized here: Private William M. Harris (Indian Wars). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company D, 7th U.S. Cavalry, for actions at the Little Big Horn River, Montana Territory, June 25, 1876. Harris died in 1895 and is buried in Section U, Site 3. Other Burials Donald K. McGuire was born in Hazard, Kentucky, in 1931. Specialist Third Class McGuire served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict. McGuire married in 1953 and graduated from Western Kentucky University. In college he played basketball and started the clean-cut singing group, The Hilltoppers. During the 1950s the quartet had nineteen hit songs on Billboard and performed at U.S. and international venues. The group was inducted into the Kentucky Hall of Fame in 2013. McGuire died September 7, 2018, and is buried in Camp Nelson National Cemetery (Section C1-1, Row D, Site 28).

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Camp Nelson National Cemetery?
Camp Nelson National Cemetery is located at 6980 Danville Road Nicholasville, Jessamine County ,Kentucky , 40356USA.
Camp Nelson National Cemetery cemetery's updated grave count on graveviews.com?
50 memorials
Where are the coordinates of the Camp Nelson National Cemetery?
Latitude: 37.7874400
Longitude: -84.6031800

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Nearby Cemetories:

1. Camp Nelson Family Cemetery
Nicholasville, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7875600, -84.6198030

2. Chapman Cemetery
Nicholasville, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7701170, -84.6063500

3. Sageser Family Cemetery
Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.8102240, -84.5867710

4. Quimby-Brumfield Cemetery
Little Hickman, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7736300, -84.5599020

5. Hoover Family Cemetery
Nicholasville, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7736200, -84.5598200

6. Jennings Family Cemetery
Nicholasville, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7820150, -84.5539520

7. Armster Bruner Farm Cemetery
Little Hickman, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7592000, -84.5661500

8. Megee-Phillips Cemetery
Hanly, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.8209440, -84.6334670

9. Bruner Cemetery
Little Hickman, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7680140, -84.5568330

10. Original Christian Bruner Cemetery
Nicholasville, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7745000, -84.5505500

11. Miller Family Cemetery
Nicholasville, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.8245990, -84.5686310

12. Macedonia Baptist Cemetery
Jessamine, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.8131520, -84.5547220

13. Corman Family Cemetery
Jessamine, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.8328400, -84.6184100

14. Day's Cemetery
Garrard County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7629610, -84.6578590

15. James Irvine Cemetery
Nicholasville, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7788470, -84.5407330

16. Hanley Cemetery
Hanly, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.8370000, -84.5910000

17. Terrill Cemetery
Bryantsville, Garrard County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7763850, -84.6658310

18. Curd Cemetery
High Bridge, Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.8081000, -84.6630100

19. Vintner Cobb Cemetery
Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7975450, -84.5335540

20. Mount Olivet Methodist Cemetery
White Oak, Garrard County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7461580, -84.6522530

21. Walker-Simpson Af-Am Cemetery
White Oak, Garrard County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7390500, -84.6437300

22. Montgomery Cemetery
Bourne, Garrard County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7300000, -84.5899990

23. Crow Cemetery
Buena Vista, Garrard County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7626770, -84.6709210

24. Peel Cemetery
Jessamine County, USA
Coordinate: 37.8056940, -84.5312410

Camp Nelson National Cemetery

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