It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. At the time, the name of the plantation was not Gay Mont, but Rose Hill. However, the pamphlet continues by claiming that, characteristics of Jeffersonian Classicism are exhibited at Belle Mont, including finely executed brickwork with contrasting woodwork and a hilltop setting. The historic home is the site of the annual Art of the Dish this week. Please report any inaccuracies. Belmont Mansion, or Belle Monte as it was known in the 19th century, was not a plantation but still relied on a large number of enslaved workers to maintain the estate. Belle Mont Mansion has been listed under several names through its history. I have heard quiet voices in the night. Be happy. According to the letter, Christmas was a disturbing time for the enslaved. One was a bluish light, the other one looked golden. Following the death of his wife Alexander Mitchell remarried and sold the plantation to Isaac and Catherine Winston and moved to Philadelphia in 1833. Slavery Plantation Agriculture Robert J. Vejnar, Kennesaw State University Dogtrot Cabin at Belle Mont Plantation Plantation agriculture was a form of large-scale farming that was most prevalent during the colonial and antebellum periods of American history. Discover the largest house built in Tennessee prior to the Civil War. Officials from multiple wedding-planning websites recently announced they are either no longer advertising plantation wedding venues or making those venues harder to find on their websites. Owning 1,680 acres of cotton and corn, Dr. Mitchell became known as one of the largest planters in the area before he quickly sold the mansion and the surrounding land one year after its completion. e prior to the Civil War. Owning 1,680 acres of cotton and corn, Dr. Mitchell became known as one of the largest planters in the area before he quickly sold the mansion and the surrounding land one year after its completion. Group rates available. It is said to be haunted by slaves who died on the grounds and also by former owners. Shes told me that prior to the restorations the mansion was a prime site for local teens to be dumb kids trespass, vandalize, etc. Montvale, the farm at Belmont, was destroyed in 1864. So all the people who work at these historic plantations, regardless of their race, sex, or income, must suffer the economic consequences of what feelings their employers history might provoke. The property is also available for tours Thursday through Sunday and for special event rentals. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. Owned by the Alabama Historical Commission and operated by the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation. The Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville hired a black historian to research the site's enslavement history and to offer tours so visitors can learn about the African Americans who were enslaved on the property. Belle Mont Mansion is a historic house museum open for guided tours. Owning 1,680 acres of cotton and corn, Dr. Mitchell became known as one of the largest planters in the area before he quickly sold the mansion and the surrounding land one year after its completion. That seems far more justified than puritannical policing of plantations. The Alabama Historical Commission owns this historic site. During the 1960s, star-crossed lovers camped inside the rotting mansion in the woods, and the home has long been the site of drunken high school parties. We might also remember that many of the most celebrated and visited historical sites in our country are Southern manors built and worked by slaves: Mount Vernon (itself a wedding venue), Monticello (another wedding venue), and Montpelier (also a wedding venue) among them. In 1833, the property was bought by Issac Williams, who owned 119 enslaved people by 1855. Four bedrooms surround the rear or south courtyard, forming its U-shaped brick exterior. Constructed in the 1820s, Belle Mont fell into ruin until the Alabama Historical Commission rescued it in the 1980s. Clicks to Website: 293 This was just word of mouth and may not have been accurate, but Im glad to hear it can be toured. Moreover, are the perpetrators of our historical-cultural cleansing so naive to think their children and grandchildren wont do the same thing to them, who have fostered and encouraged a paradigm of national seppuku? I dont know any ghost stories but my mother tells a few funny stories. A former slave plantation, it is believed to be haunted by slaves that lived and died here and also possibly by the ghosts of its former owners. The letter was signed by social justice groups Project Say Something, Standing in Power, of Decatur, and Beyond the Women's March. Ken is a graphic designer, web developer and co-founder of One True Paranormal, a para-group in southwest Missouri. I got chills then tried to write it off. The abandonment of the home was the largest cause of its deterioration and the vandalism that occurred at Belle Mont. Belle Mont's out-buildings are no longer standing, but several foundations, including that of a slave house, have been located by archeologists. One day toward the end of the project, My friend Ronnie and I went down to remove what was left from an old tree my Dad had cut down the day before and other light work. Be lovers of freedom and anxious for the fray, Georgia Senate Passes Bill To Close Sneaky 'Zuckbucks 2.0' Loopholes, 3 Things Anti-America Agitator Angela Davis Can Learn From Her Pilgrim Ancestors, Just Like Real Socialism, Real Feudalism Has Never Been Tried, Amid Personal Loss, Washington And Lincoln Became Fathers Of Their Country. Advertised as an event where people can experience the "hospitality of the Old South", "A Plantation Christmas" was held at the Belle Mont Mansion on Sunday evening. The answer will always be a mystery. Small items like dimes and nails are moved. In 1983, concerned about the condition of the house, members of the Winston family donated Belle Mont and 33 surrounding acres to the Alabama Historical Commission.The house and surrounding property are reportedly haunted by the former slaves that lived and died on the plantation. The house and surrounding property are reportedly haunted by the former slaves that lived and died on the plantation. LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Shoals, Shoals Young Democrats and Rev. Indeed, it was brutal and terrifying. It was built in 1940 on some of the land near General John Coffees home. Today the Belmont Mansion Association, which was formed in 1972, owns the collection, runs the museum, and shares this unique story of 19th century Nashville with visitors from far and near. According to census records, Mitchell enslaved 115 people at the cotton plantation. The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. Belle Mont was erected in 1828 for a physician from Louisa County, Virginia, Dr. Alexander Williams Mitchell. n 1832. Belle Mont Mansion Tuscumbia, Alabama 65.4 miles from Tupelo, MS. A former slave plantation, it is believed to be haunted by slaves that lived and died here and also possibly by the ghosts of its former owners. Catholics in the 19th century suffered violent assaults at the hands of anti-papist mobs on the streets of Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. Lewis called our tendency to view our own age as superior to others, is a dark chasm ending in our own destruction. Belle Mont attracts approximately 5,000 visitors each year. Whats good for the goose is good for the gander, and one would have to be a clinical narcissist to think future generations wont find us at fault for any number of things. Contextualizing former slave plantations has been a concern across the nation. This area of the property can be accessed from the master bedroom through a large door with a window that leads directly to the courtyard area, which is where the detached kitchen would have been accessed as well.The Mitchell family sold Belle Mont and 33 of the surrounding acres to their friends Isaac and Catherine Baker Jones Winston, who were also from Virginia, in 1833. It's estimated that 40 percent of slave owners may have been white women. The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. Plantations used for bourgeois ceremonies with language that obscures or even glorifies the estates dark past are one example. Belle Mont also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio,. Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! She said he would come out shooting if he caught trespassers. We also dont need to police their repurposing. Protest movements that perceive victimization and microaggression under every rock also wreak havoc on our countrys economy. Home > Historical Buildings > Belle Mont Mansion A former slave plantation, it is believed to be haunted by slaves that lived and died here and also possibly by the ghosts of its former owners. Belmont Mansion, or Belle Monte as it was known in the 19th century, was not a plantation but still relied on a large number of enslaved workers to maintain the estate. Tickets may also be purchased by credit card by calling the museum at 256-381-5052 or online . This is a list of plantations and/or plantation houses in the U.S. state of Virginia that are National Historic Landmarks, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, other historic registers, or are otherwise significant for their history, association with significant events or people, or their architecture and design. The letter was also sent to Ninon Parker, who is listed as a site director for the Belle Mont Mansion. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. The answer will always be a mystery. The coalition said the event celebrated white supremacy by ignoring the enslaved people who labored at the cotton plantation. Built between 1828 and 1832 in the Jeffersonian style, Belle Mont was originally the home of Dr. Alexander Mitchell, who quickly sold the building to one Isaac Winston in 1833. If you have lived in a haunted house you will not find this fun. Because of the tragedies that transpired therin, they powerfully communicate how far America has come. In its zealous desire to right previous wrongs, this goes too far in the other direction, and in the process, undermines the historical fabric of our nation. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. Tell Us About Your Experience(s) at Belle Mont. The designer is unknown but seems to have been influenced by Thomas Jefferson's ideas and style. Just outside the city of Tuscumbia, the 700+ acre Cane Creek Canyon Nature . Be specific. According to the Times Daily, the event, which has been a holiday tradition in the Muscle Shoals area for over 30 years, offered vintage ballroom dancing, food and tour guides dressed in Antebellum garb. Although the original architect and builder remain unknown, the style of Belle Mont appears also to have been influenced by past. If such locales have tragic histories, this is all the more reason to reimagine them in ways that both recognize and overcome that past. A Pinterest representative, for example, announced that the website is working on de-indexing Google searches for plantation wedding. In December, a coalition of Alabama activists protested a Plantation Christmas event held at the Belle Mont Mansion near Tuscumbia, Alabama, because it memorialized white supremacist celebrations of Christmas. Many of them, even their detractors must admit, are beautiful, both in reference to their natural surroundings and their architecture. It once stretched over 5400 acres and hosted celebrities, presidents, and countless southern gentlemen. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. The Mitchell family sold Belle Mont and 33 of the surrounding acres to their friends Isaac and Catherine Baker Jones Winston, who were also from Virginia, in 1833. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. And have seen shadows and once a figure of a person. Before you visit ANY local real haunt, make sure to acquire the appropriate permits and/or permissions, and be respectful of privately owned properties. Sign up for our newsletter and receive Halloween event updates, discounts and more! My son says, Yes, hes walking to the house. Having passed the sign and turn to the house, I realized there is no way he could have known of the house based on his not being able to read and having no pre-exposure to the houses existence. Chronological snobbery, as C.S. Beginning in 1889, the basement of Belmont, which served as the main workspace for many enslaved persons, was significantly remodeled with no care given to historic preservation. The answer will always be a mystery. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont. Now, thats poetic justice. Then he didnt snap back and unadded me and my Freinds girlfriend said a woman followed us back to the car and as soon as we pulled out a car came out of no where like we seen no headlights the whole time and we get home And another Freind of mine gets a text and said we know you was here no trespassing and Said I had a picture taker (dont really know what that means) and he had a drink and a bag of chips and he threw it down and they said we found your snack. Belle Mont Mansion | Tuscumbia AL Blue Star Museum: Belle Mont proudly offers free admission to active duty military personnel and their families between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Visiting here is an opportunity to explore one of the few 1850s era homes still standing in Nashville while learning about the place and the people -- both free and enslaved -- who make this site worth understanding. My wife and I went to the mansion and learned of its peculiarities from the informative guide person. And in the process, these attacks have unintended economic consequences on working-class Americans. Her eyes, big as saucers, alarm me. Only a country with a conscience in our case informed by the Christian beliefs of our ancestors would bother to engage in the kinds of self-criticism and atonement visible in American society. For more information, click here. I contacted the historic society to find out about the planned restoration project that I had heard about, and asked if I could assist as part of my Eagle Scout project in the Boy Scouts. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time. By the following year, in 1890, all the houses occupied by enslaved Blacks on the estate had been destroyed, leaving no physical presence for interpretation. The National Paranormal Society is not responsible for individuals, teams and submissions listed on the NPS website. General Martin retired to his Belle Mont plantation at Leatherwood, which he purchased in 1796 from Benjamin Harrison V of Berkeley Plantation. Its also not as if Dixie estates were the only sites where acts of brutality were committed by one group of Americans against another. Slaves in the plantation generations were members of what Berlin calls "slave societies," where slavery was the primary source of labor. Owning 1,680 acres of cotton and corn, Dr. Mitchell became known as one of the largest planters in the area before he quickly sold the mansion and the surrounding land one year after its completion.However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. I was born and raised in Tuscumbia. Strange are there actually any African Americans who have memories of the antebellum period, given that it ended 160 years ago? Just one if many weird, cant explain it things that have happened here. An Alabama Historical Commission site, Belle Mont was built 1828-1832 and is one of the state's first great plantation houses. Belle Mont, built between 1828 and 1832, was a plantation that used slave labor. belle mont mansion slaves July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022. The underlying premise of the anti-plantation movement is that Southern plantations cannot be romanticized. An example of this occurred in December, when a number of black medical students posed for a photo at a former slave plantation, a site some of them called holy. Heck, why not celebrate their graduation there? Its two-story north entrance salon is flanked on either side by a formal dining room and parlor. Doors open and close. In each society and in each generation slaves adjusted and . He was also a founding member of a Presbyterian church in Tuscumbia and among the area's largest owners of, Throughout the antebellum period, Isaac Winston operated Belle Mont as a cotton plantation, and the 1860 Census lists him as the owner of 114 enslaved African Americans. Related Videos Video #1 It remained in the Winston family for over a century, and is currently used as a historic house museum open for tours by appointment. Belle Meade plantation is one of the premier plantations in Tennessee and one of the top attractions in the state. Belle Mont Mansion is being restored and partially furnished to reflect the antebellum, or pre-Civil War, time period. My great great great great grandfather used to live at the belle mont mansion ! "Others feared the upcoming slave auctions commonly held in January and February in north Alabama as well as upcoming contracts for slave labor that was 'hired out.'". Moreover, blacks, both free and slave, provided the bulk of labor that built the White House, the U.S. Capitol, and other early government buildings. It was the centerpiece of a 1,760 acre cotton plantation and had one of the largest slave populations in the state. My wife, son (age 5) and I were heading from Muscle Shoals to our home in Littleville after a night of shopping and eating. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont, Discover the largest house built in Tennesse. The Belle Mont Mansion was constructed from 1828-1832. complete with original and period furniture, artwork and statuary. Indeed, it is the Christian character of America that has allowed us to recognize and seek to rectify our past errors. It is best to play gospel or Christian radio in your house 24/7 to make them move on. Top ways to experience Belle Mont Mansion and nearby attractions Florence, Muscle Shoals Multi-Attraction Pass 2 Attractions & Museums from $25.00 per adult Muscle Shoals Sound Studio Tour in Sheffield Alabama 72 Recommended Walking Tours from $20.00 per adult The Raptor, High Rope Course and Zipline Tickets, Wheeler Lake KOA 1 Belle Mont Mansion is located outside of Tuscumbia. Plantations represent none of those things, declared a Pinterest spokesman, calling the glamorization of these estates a disrespectful practice. Pinterest visitors who search for plantation weddings or similar terms will now be warned that some results may violate the sites policies, de facto making plantations the equivalent of pornography. 2019 was the year it finally became socially unacceptable to use a historic plantation as a wedding venue. A graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, he was a physician, planter, and an early elected official of Franklin (present-day Colbert) County, where he settled around 1820. The article included a large photo of an interior shot of the mansion with my great aunts name first and last blazoned across the room in graffiti! Violence against blacks and other disenfranchised groups have occurred across our nations landscape, many in popular and well-trod locales, North and South, East and West. We went back there, and I finished the project, with help from all was involved. Will NOT be displayed. The modern application of this practice is also redolent of any of those ancient heresies that are uncomfortable with the complicated reality that vice and virtue, spiritual and material, co-exist within the human experience. You can visit the historic Belle Mont Mansion at 1569 Cook Ln., Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674. Belmont Mansion, also known as Acklen Hall, and originally known as Belle Monte, Belle Mont or Belmont, is a historic mansion located in Nashville, Tennessee. I mention this because Gay Mont was his home. Is it not appropriate to celebrate momentous occasions in beautiful places? Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. Forts, Battlefields & Archaeological Sites, Alabama Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program, Documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery, Pond Spring, the General Joe Wheeler Home, To apply for film/photo permit, please send requests to. Beyond Jesus Revolution: 10 Outside-The-Box Faith-Based Films On The Horizon, Major Doctors Organization Publicly Embraces Dismembering Babies Until Birth, Congress Quietly Left The Door Open To Funneling More Tax Dollars To EcoHealth Research In China For National Security, Utah Considers Ranked-Choice Voting In Primaries Despite Disasters In Alaska And Maine. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. ?????? A majority of rooms in Belmont Mansion have been meticulously restored. Marble bust of Helen Keller. Voice your opinion here! 2008-2023 AlabamaHauntedHouses.com. Visitors to this page: 3,182 Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Do not use all capital letters. In. Jonece Starr Dunigan | [email protected], hired a black historian to research the site's enslavement history, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. He says, the man that lives in that house. still pointing. Belle Mont also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio,The Winston family maintained ownership and continued living in Belle Mont through the Civil War and until around 1940. Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! Your email address will not be published. The voices in the night are the hardest to explain away. Ninon Parker puts candles out on the table fully set for dinner at Belle Mont Mansion in Colbert County. Join now to unlock comments, browse ad-free, and access exclusive content from your favorite FDRLST writers. Couple looking at a car in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Indeed, I wonder how many black Americans even have a deceased grandparent who could have had a memory of antebellum America. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. Visiting here is an opportunity to explore one of the few 1850s era homes still standing in Nashville while learning about the place and the people -- both free and enslaved -- who make this site worth understanding. She was caught due to a news story that came out in the local paper about the travesties of vandalism happening to the historic landmark by local youth. Some visitors say that the building is haunted, having seen ghosts of former owners or of the slaves that lived and died on the plantation. I was amazed at the huge floor joist under the house, then I had that feeling someone had walked up behind me, I thought it was Ronnie, at that time I noticed some graffiti that had been put there, and asked Ronnie what he thought about, but when I turned around, Iwas there by myself. Disclaimer: Alabama Haunted Houses does not endorse or support trespassing to visit real haunts. 3. It has been referred to as the Isaac Winston House and is listed as Belmont in the National Register of Historic Places and as the Henry B. Thornton Plantation House in the Historic American Buildings Survey. No profanity. The celebration of a Plantation Christmas is racist, the letter reads. Me and a group of Freinds went out there one night and we first get there we get out the car and walking up the hill to the house and I get a snapchat (popular app used by teens) from someone I dont even got added and he said Im behind you then he sent another one and said I know where you are and I sent a snap and said where am I the. Yet self-righteous assaults on these places and the many ways they are used will not bring restorative justice. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. It's currently operated as a museum, and tours are available. The Conway family purchased the property in 1670 and it remained in the family for 120 years. In 1983, concerned about the condition of the house, members of the Winston family donated Belle Mont and 33 surrounding acres to the Alabama Historical Commission. Jones says her new title is one she holds . A tour of this Nashville plantation tells the story . Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale. This area of the property can be accessed from the master bedroom through a large door with a window that leads directly to the courtyard area, which is where the detached kitchen would have been accessed as well. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama.
