Camp Kelsey at Annapolis Junction

As troop movements increased, Annapolis Junction became a military site.

In 1861, the Army established a cantonment known as Camp Kelsey, where troops were assigned to protect the rail lines surrounding the Junction. The camp is documented in both visual and written records, including a lithograph of Company F of the 10th Maine Regiment “enjoying Thanksgiving Dinner” in November 1861 (Library of Congress image collection).

The camp is also referenced in the diary of George H. Nye, a volunteer from Lewiston, Maine, who recorded his presence at Annapolis Junction and participation in that Thanksgiving gathering (Nye Diary; Laurel Historical Society).

Why was it called Camp Kelsey? It was in honor of the most prominent citizen of Lewiston, Maine, credited with building the town - Captain Albert H. Kelsey who previously commanded the Lewiston Light Infantry.

At the same time, a military hospital was established at the Junction. By August of 1862, it was active as part of the U.S. Army General Hospital system associated with Annapolis (Otis, Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion, 1870, p. 281).

By January 1865, the hospital was renamed Rulison U.S.A. General Hospital, in honor of Surgeon William H. Rulison, who was killed in service (The Crutch, Jan. 21, 1865).

A diagram from March 1865 shows multiple wards and support buildings, indicating the scale of the operation.

By late summer of that year, the hospital was dismantled and sold off, with 27 frame buildings auctioned for a relatively small sum.

Camp Kelsey followed a similar trajectory—active for a short but intense period, and then gone.

Research in Progress: This summary provides only high-level background. Full documentation and primary-source analysis will be published in Lost Howard County (2027). Please do not reuse or republish this research without permission.