Camp Nelson National Monument
WLA Studio is in the process of completing a Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) and Cultural Landscapes Inventory (CLI) for Camp Nelson National Monument. Camp Nelson in Nicholasville, Kentucky, began as a fortified U.S. Army supply depot, hospital, and garrison in 1863, and became one of the nation’s largest recruitment and training centers for African American soldiers during the American Civil War, as well as a refugee camp for the wives and children of these African American soldiers. One of the newest National Parks in the NPS system, Camp Nelson Historic and Archeological District (NR13000286) was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2013 and Camp Nelson National Monument was established by presidential proclamation on October 26, 2018. WLA is also working with RATIO Architects to complete a Historic Structure Report (HSR) for the John Fee Memorial Presbyterian Church building. This church is located in the community of Ariel, now known as Hall, Kentucky, which blossomed into a thriving, early 20th-century African American settlement nationally known for the musical contributions of the Ariel Singers and family bands. Today, some descendants of refugees and soldiers maintain strong connections to Camp Nelson and the resulting community of Hall.