Camp Ford Historic Park

Northeast Texas


Camp Ford was the largest prisoner of war (POW) camp run by the Confederacy west of the Mississippi. Opened in 1863, it held over 5000 Union prisoners; conditions were often appalling. Outside the camp, mob-rule often prevailed. Freed African Americans were often slaughtered and burned at the stake for having 'Yankee sympathies.' The site today has interpretive trails, a reconstructed POW cabin and a small museum.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Northeast Texas attractions

1. Tyler Municipal Rose Garden

4.8 MILES

Romantics, be prepared to swoon: home to the country’s biggest domestic supply of roses, Tyler is also home to this 14-acre garden with 38,000 plants in…

2. Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge

8.74 MILES

This refuge, 13 miles north of downtown Tyler, is home to over 50 big cats that have been rescued from non-zoo captivity across the country. Tour the…

3. Kiepersol Estates Winery

16.75 MILES

Walk the mile-long vineyard trail, have a taste or take a tour (confirm schedule in advance); located 15 miles southeast of downtown. The winery produces…

4. World's Richest Acre Park

22.83 MILES

Once home in the 1930s to the world's densest collection of oil derricks, this downtown park now has one of the originals plus 36 replicas.

5. Rangerette Showcase & Museum

23.21 MILES

Oil is not the only kind of drilling Kilgore is famous for; the town also claims bragging rights as home to the world's oldest women's precision drill…

6. East Texas Oil Museum

23.29 MILES

Trace the town's boom – and bust – at the evocative East Texas Oil Museum, with vivid exhibits that do an admirable job re-creating the pre-oil discovery…