“Camp Nelson tells the story of the struggle of freedom," said Kentucky Congressmen Andy Barr.
“It's part of the heritage of Jessamine County, it’s part of the heritage of Kentucky, it’s part of the heritage of the United States,” added Jessamine County Judge Executive David West.
Both gentlemen agree that Camp Nelson played an integral role in the liberation of African Americans during the Civil War era.
"And realizing the aspirations of the Founding Fathers, that all men are created equal. And that was the struggle with the Civil War, to achieve that,” said Barr.
That history still stands. But a bill passed a few years ago left the largest training camp for African American troops in Kentucky in need of a name change.
"It's an interesting hiccup of history," said Barr.
The park was officially designated as “Camp Nelson National Monument” in 2018.
But in 2019, the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, accidentally changed the monument's name to include the word "heritage."
Judge West says this mistake is understandable because when Jessamine County owned the land, it went by "Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park."
Barr says the bill to restore Camp Nelson’s name back to “Camp Nelson National Monument,” will be filed with the office of the House of Representatives’s Clerk on Thursday.
“This is a place of enormous historical value for African American history, for Civil War History, for Kentucky history, and for American History,” Barr said.
