In 2018, the National Park Service began administering Camp Nelson National Monument, located south of Lexington, Kentucky. During the Civil War, the site served as a United States military supply depot, forward operating base, hospital, recruiting post, refugee camp, and training center for U.S. Colored Troops.
Join National Park Service Ranger Steve Phan, Chief of Interpretation at Camp Nelson, as he engages in conversation with Codie Eash, Director of Education and Interpretation at Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center, while the pair discuss their experience on staffs during the establishment of nationally significant historic sites.
Steve T. Phan is a Park Ranger and serves as the Chief of Interpretation at Camp Nelson National Monument. He has also worked at the Civil War Defenses of Washington, Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument, Rock Creek Park, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Stones River National Battlefield, Richmond National Battlefield Park, and Gettysburg National Military Park. A military history scholar of the Civil War era, Phan’s research focuses on military occupation, operational command, African American soldiers and refugees, and fortifications during the Civil War. He was nominated for the National Park Service Tilden Award for Excellence in Interpretation for the National Capital Region in 2019 and 2020, and the Excellence in Interpretation Individual Award for the Southeast Region in 2025. He holds a master’s degree in American History from Middle Tennessee State University.