Corinth Contraband Camp

I remember passing by this park shortly after it was built and thinking to myself ‘what an odd name for a park. Was it built from proceeds of police confiscated items sales?’ What you see from the road is a large iron gate with Contraband written across it. From the road you can see trees, a walk way and grass. Nothing really impressive from the road, but what you get when you pull in, park and get out is a little more impressive.
I don’t know all the details and history behind this piece of land and, in a nutshell, what I gleaned from my walk through is that a lot of African-​Americans fled Southern plantations and farms seeking freedom and protection. They thought (Union-​occupied) Corinth to be a safe location. Some of these escaped slaves were recruited as teamsters, cooks and laborers and male refugees were armed and placed in charge of security at the new camp in Corinth. I read somewhere that these escaped slaves were referred to as contraband of war, so I assume, hence the name of the park.
Life-​like bronze figures, like the ones at the Interpretive Center, surround the trail through the camp, depicting their life, such as, gardening, reading, fighting and washing clothes.
There is no admission fee and it is open from daylight to dark and there is a small area for parking. It is located a little off the beaten path and may be hard for visitors to find, but it is worth the little effort it takes to find it. The kids should enjoy the figures and it could be a great opportunity to teach them a little history without it feeling to them as if they are learning something.