Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument (Episode 35)

Send us Fan MailMill Springs Battlefield National Monument was designated in 2020 — making it one of the youngest units in the National Park Service. The visitor center is spectacular. The history is extraordinary. And the park is still actively being built.The Battle of Mill Springs on January 19, 1862 was a rare winter battle and the first major Union victory in the West — a watershed moment that changed how the war would develop west of the Appalachians. Chief of Interpretation Andrew Miller joins The Parks Podcast to share the full story: the battle, the preservation history, and what visitors can see and do at a park that is genuinely coming to life.In this episode: — How this battlefield nearly disappeared — listed among the 10 most endangered Civil War battlefields in the late 1980s — How the Mill Springs Battlefield Association preserved this land from the ground up, decades before the NPS arrived — Why the Battle of Mill Springs happened in winter — and why it almost didn't happen at all — Kentucky's extraordinary neutrality — Colonel Sanders with two pistols — and how it collapsed — Felix Kirk Zollicoffer — the newspaper editor turned Confederate general who had no professional military training — What visitors can see today: the visitor center, the 20-minute film, the driving tour, the hiking trails, and the Brown-Lanier home — What's coming in the next five years: new signage, expanded trails, a staff ride program, and a NPS film — How to make a full vacation out of the area — Camp Nelson, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace, Mammoth Cave, Big South Fork all within 90 minutesLinks mentioned: — Plan your visit: nps.gov/misp — NPS App for self-guided battlefield tour — Mill Springs Battlefield Association: millsprings.netSupport the show