Editing Camp William Penn (section)

== Legacy and Commemoration ==

Camp William Penn was decommissioned after the war ended in 1865, and the site returned to private use. Unlike many Civil War sites, the camp received relatively little attention in the decades after the conflict, when the contributions of African American soldiers were minimized in the dominant narrative of the war. The site became part of the La Mott neighborhood of Cheltenham Township, named for Lucretia Mott on whose land the camp had been established. For many years, the camp's history was preserved primarily by descendants of the soldiers who trained there and by local historians interested in African American military service.<ref name="biddle"/>

Recent decades have brought renewed attention to Camp William Penn and the United States Colored Troops. The camp site is now commemorated with historical markers and a monument dedicated in 1994. The La Mott Community Association works to preserve and interpret the site's history. The Camp William Penn Museum, operated by volunteers, presents exhibits on the camp and the soldiers who trained there. The broader recovery of African American Civil War history—including films, books, and museum exhibitions—has restored the USCT to their proper place in the narrative of the war and of the long struggle for racial equality. Camp William Penn stands as a monument to the determination of Black Americans to fight for their own freedom and to their essential contribution to Union victory.<ref name="nps">{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/places/camp-william-penn.htm |title=Camp William Penn |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=December 29, 2025}}</ref>