Vicksburg National Military Park is no doubt the most famous Mississippi military park, but it’s far from the only one. There's an array of battlefields and military parks in Mississippi; however, none are quite like Corinth Contraband Camp, which features statues of the freed men and women who lived at the camp decades ago.
In addition to 5,000 acres in Tennessee, the Shiloh National Military Park includes a couple of units in Corinth, Mississippi – one of which is the Corinth Contraband Camp.
The grounds are home to an array of statues, but not the type of statues you'd expect to find at a military park.
Instead of portraying soldiers, the statues depict the people who lived on the grounds long ago, when it was a refugee camp.
When the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1862, thousands of enslaved people sought refuge behind Union lines. At the time, Corinth was under Union control, making it a haven for many freedom seekers.
After its founding, the Corinth camp quickly grew into a thriving community with roughly 6,000 residents.
More like a town, the camp featured homes, a church, school, and hospital.
Sadly, none of the camp’s original structures are still standing. However, those who began their journey to freedom at the camp are remembered via several bronze statues.
Life-size, and rather life-like, the statues portray men, women, and children performing a variety of tasks, as they would have been in back in the 1860s.
The statues line a short, quarter-mile trail, making for an interesting walk through the past.
Remember, the Corinth Contraband Camp is part of Shiloh National Military Park and is managed by the NPS. For more information, call Shiloh National Military Park at (662) 287-9273.
After touring this Mississippi military park in Corinth, check out another of the city’s great sites, the Corinth Coke Museum.
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