Visit BelmontMansionEvents.com to review options to Elope in Nashville at Belmont Mansion. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), NPS Investigation & Research Education Resource, World Institute for Scientific Exploration (WISE), http://www.mystery411.com/Landing_bellemonttuscumbia.html. Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. Belle Mont Mansion is being restored and partially furnished to reflect the antebellum, or pre-Civil War, time period. Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? Things seem to be at their worst after midnight, until early dawn. Three years later, during the middle of the. This was just word of mouth and may not have been accurate, but Im glad to hear it can be toured. Over the years, this historic mansion has been restored to its original pre-Civil War appearance. He has a bachelors in history and masters in teaching from the University of Virginia and a masters in theology from Christendom College. Doors open and close. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. Although the actual design of Belle Mont is a mystery, this particular relationship provides a clue about the original designer, or at least his influence. Indeed, it was brutal and terrifying. 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. We went back there, and I finished the project, with help from all was involved. Peace to everyone. You can visit the historic Belle Mont Mansion at 1569 Cook Ln., Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674. 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. These families included the Baker and Snowden families, among others. Although the actual design of Belle Mont is a mystery, this particular relationship provides a clue about the original designer, or at least his influence.The source of Belle Monts design is shrouded in mystery, but tantalizing clues suggest the direct influence of President Thomas Jefferson, gentlemen architect of the early Republic, the official Belle Mont pamphlet states (Commission 2). Located in the heart of Nashville on the Belmont University Campus. He is the author of The Persecuted: True Stories of Courageous Christians Living Their Faith in Muslim Lands. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. What county in Alabama had the most slaves? The designer is unknown but seems to have been influenced by Thomas Jefferson's ideas and style. 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. Visitors to the mansion have reported seeing dark shadowy figures walking the fields and have heard the sound of chains rattling near the house.http://bellemont.weebly.com/history.htmlhttp://www.mystery411.com/Landing_bellemonttuscumbia.html. My daughter and I have both heard clear voices that sound kind of far away, but you can understand them. Its also not as if Dixie estates were the only sites where acts of brutality were committed by one group of Americans against another. 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. All information on this page was submitted to Alabama Haunted Houses and was believed to be accurate at the time it was posted. It once stretched over 5400 acres and hosted celebrities, presidents, and countless southern gentlemen. According to the letter, Christmas was a disturbing time for the enslaved. Four bedrooms surround the rear or south courtyard, forming its U-shaped brick exterior. Belle Meade plantation is one of the premier plantations in Tennessee and one of the top attractions in the state. The property is also available for tours Thursday through Sunday and for special event rentals. Blanket from Belle Mont Mansion. Casey Chalk is a senior contributor at The Federalist and an editor and columnist at The New Oxford Review. The answer will always be a mystery. ?????? Magnificently sited on a commanding hilltop, Belle Mont is one of early Alabama's crowning architectural achievements.. 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. Just outside the city of Tuscumbia, the 700+ acre Cane Creek Canyon Nature . Disclaimer: Alabama Haunted Houses does not endorse or support trespassing to visit real haunts. 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. General Martin retired to his Belle Mont plantation at Leatherwood, which he purchased in 1796 from Benjamin Harrison V of Berkeley Plantation. Well, all in all, me and my fellow troop members and family members spent about six weeks there, clearing underbrush, old trash, planting grass, removing small trees, etc. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. You feel things passing by you. What Todays Cultural Marxists Would Be Wise To Learn From Martin Luther King Jr. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. 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. Have a haunt/halloween related news story or a tip? Many of them, even their detractors must admit, are beautiful, both in reference to their natural surroundings and their architecture. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. belle mont mansion slaves July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022. Ninon Parker puts candles out on the table fully set for dinner at Belle Mont Mansion in Colbert County. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. A mural of the Clotilda adorns a concrete embankment in Africatown, a community near Mobile founded by Africans illegally transported to Alabama aboard the slave ship. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. 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. Affordable Nashville Elopements start here! It's estimated that 40 percent of slave owners may have been white women. I know someone who used to volunteer at Belle Mont, which is open for tours, and she said the house was definitely haunted by a woman, possibility a former mistress or daughter who once lived in the house. Use of the directory is at the discretion of the individual. We also dont need to police their repurposing. Belle Mont Mansion is a historic house museum open for guided tours. 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. The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. Stay safe. I havent asked in years the last I remember I think I may have heard it was being restored but privately owned and with no plans to open to the public. Simply by virtue of ones social justice warrior credentials and alleged victimhood status, these people deputize themselves the cultural police of our history, our language, and now apparently our wedding venues. 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. All rights reserved. I have experienced some very strange things in my home. But she never mentioned any slave ghosts. Group rates available. 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. Belle Mont Mansion is located outside of Tuscumbia. In a letter sent to multiple Alabama Historical Commission officials Tuesday night, the coalition demanded an apology as well as a promise to no longer hold events supporting tours and events that "deny the brutality of the past." Visitors to this page: 3,182 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. 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. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. The Knot, WeddingWire, and Pinterest are seeking to limit content on their websites that promotes Southern plantations as a wedding venue. 2023 The Federalist, A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media. It was built in 1940 on some of the land near General John Coffees home. Administrative use only. 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. 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! Weddings should be a symbol of love and unity. It was one of those drizzly unpleasant days, so after a while I went into the Cellar area of the plantation. Be happy. Admission: Adults $6; students, seniors, military $5; and children 6-18 $3. Sold by the Acklen family in 1887, the house went to a developer who began one of Nashvilles early suburbs. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. 10 years later, I relayed the story for the first time to him the day my wife and I decided to visit the place and asked him if he would like to go see the man he saw that night. he respectfully declined. Be specific. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). Belle Mont Mansion has been listed under several names through its history. Belle Mont attracts approximately 5,000 visitors each year. Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few Palladian-style houses in the Deep South. Your CommentsHave a photograph taken from this location? Belle Mont Mansion By Ken Weigandin Ashley Ann Lewis, Haunted Locations Belle Mont was erected in 1828 for a physician from Louisa County, Virginia, Dr. Alexander Williams Mitchell. The house and surrounding property are reportedly haunted by the former slaves that lived and died on the plantation. One night while we were both watching TV in the den with the lights off, we both saw two colored orbs gliding through the room from the back door toward the closet, then they disappeared. Happy haunting! Its two-story north entrance salon is flanked on either side by a formal dining room and parlor. Tickets are available at Belle Mont Mansion and at Fiddledee D! 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. 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. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! 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. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. The house and surrounding property are reportedly haunted by the former slaves that lived and died on the plantation. At Belmont, several extended families lived in slavery over the course of several generations. Gradually, the family gatherings became less frequent until the home was completely abandoned.The abandonment of the home was the largest cause of its deterioration and the vandalism that occurred at Belle Mont. Required fields are marked *. Your email address will not be published. A majority of rooms in Belmont Mansion have been meticulously restored. 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. To avoid this, be sure to get in touch with the property owners before visiting a haunt, and respect their hours of operation, local regulations, and rules for visiting at all times. Please contact nps.submissions@gmail.com for more information. "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.'". 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. Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@reckonmedia.com, hired a black historian to research the site's enslavement history, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Let us know! The home was built. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. The abandonment of the home was the largest cause of its deterioration and the vandalism that occurred at Belle Mont. My wife and I went to the mansion and learned of its peculiarities from the informative guide person. The answer will always be a mystery. Because of the tragedies that transpired therin, they powerfully communicate how far America has come. Moreover, the entire. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! An Alabama Historical Commission site, Belle Mont was built 1828-1832 and is one of the state's first great plantation houses. I have heard quiet voices in the night. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont. 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. What do you think? How many of the great nations of human history have so actively beat their breasts over their sins, both against their own citizens and the peoples of the world? She said that at times, she, and others, would smell a floral scent like a womans perfume and get a cold feeling for no reason as if in the presence of a ghost. View all AHC Owned Historic Houses & Museums. 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. Surely, we do not want to pretend these places dont have a violent, racist past. Plantation Christmas at Belle Mont is held annually the first Sunday in December and features period costumed interpreters, decorations, refreshments, and entertainment. Belle Mont also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio,. Before you visit ANY local real haunt, make sure to acquire the appropriate permits and/or permissions, and be respectful of privately owned properties. Heading south about to pass by the Belmont sign, and not having said a word in at least 15 Min, my son asks a question pointing precisely in the direction of the house, not visible in the daytime, let alone at pitch black night, Daddy, who is that man? to which I reply, What man? If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Plantations used for bourgeois ceremonies with language that obscures or even glorifies the estates dark past are one example. I asked, Do you see him now? in a jested way as I awkwardly half-smile to my wife. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. Belle Mont isnt included in either of Kathryn Tucker Windhams books about Alabama ghosts. Belle Mont was erected in 1828 for a physician from Louisa County, Virginia, Dr. Alexander Williams Mitchell. It also reflects the vulnerability of American businesses to the whims of leftist protest movements. Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. It was built by Joseph and Adelicia Acklen to serve as the center of their 180-acre summer estate in what was then country outside the city, and featured elaborate gardens and a zoo. The letter was signed by social justice groups Project Say Something, Standing in Power, of Decatur, and Beyond the Women's March. 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. 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. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. This is not to say there isnt something a bit discomforting about vendors labeling slave cabins on these properties as evoking an elaborate past, as if blacks were happy, willing participants in a fanciful world of white gentry as portrayed in Gone with the Wind. All the same, targeting Southern wedding venues for bigotry reflects yet another manifestation of a purification of our culture and history. Unlock premium content, ad-free browsing, and access to comments for just $4/month. Belle Mont Mansion , built circa 1828, is one of the few examples of Palladian-style houses in Alabama. Lewis called our tendency to view our own age as superior to others, is a dark chasm ending in our own destruction. We have located just two first-hand accounts of slavery at Belmont. It is best to play gospel or Christian radio in your house 24/7 to make them move on. 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. I mention this because Gay Mont was his home. 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. Come to Belle Mont to learn more about Palladian architecture and to see first-hand the tantalizing clues suggesting the direct influence of Thomas Jefferson himself. It is said to be haunted by slaves who died on the grounds and also by former owners. The underlying premise of the anti-plantation movement is that Southern plantations cannot be romanticized. Contextualizing former slave plantations has been a concern across the nation. Her eyes, big as saucers, alarm me. 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. Use the "Browse" or "Choose File" button below to select an image to upload along with your comment. Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! Located in the middle of the Belmont University campusbehind Freeman Hall. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? Belle Mont Mansion has resumed normal operating hours and will be operating at reduced capacity to safeguard against COVID-19. === A monument was errected in 2008 on the old Henry Courthouse square in Martinsville, VA. . Protest movements that perceive victimization and microaggression under every rock also wreak havoc on our countrys economy. 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. 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. Records of the property's destruction includes information related to the number of slave dwellings on the property. 2019 was the year it finally became socially unacceptable to use a historic plantation as a wedding venue. Her aunt, who was only a few years older than her, got busted sneaking in/vandalizing the mansion. The use of the NPS name for any unauthorized events or activities is strictly prohibited. So I like have some family history about the mansion and my aunt found a man and fell in love with him and they both LOVE history and so they both had there wedding at the Belle mont mansion and I was the flower girl and I havent seen the upstairs of the mansion so Im not sure if it really is haunted I really want to find out more the reason why I started searching this up was bc my great aunt works at my school library and she started talking about it and reading us storys about it. Belle Mont Mansion | Tuscumbia AL A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. Will we need Google to warn us that searching for such places or even worse, planning a vacation to visit them are microaggressive acts, as if we are unable to contemplate both the good and bad of such places? He says, the man that lives in that house. still pointing. And have seen shadows and once a figure of a person. The celebration of a Plantation Christmas is racist, the letter reads. Very little historic data, including census records, include last names of those who were enslaved, making it challenging to locate descendents through geneaology records. Belle Mont was built for Alexander Williams Mitchell, who grew up in Louisa County, Virginia, only 25 miles from Jefferson's home at Monticello. This would have been in the late 60s, early 70s I would guess. The groups who are critiquing the event in Tuscumbia believe historical sites must be honest and respectful. After finding lesson plans asking Alabama fourth-graders to write their own slave narratives, experts talk about the hardships of teaching slavery on an elementary school level. That seems far more justified than puritannical policing of plantations. I grew up in Florence and my Great Grandmother lived near the mansion on Colbert Heights mountain. The site originally served as the centerpiece for the large scale cotton. My wife, son (age 5) and I were heading from Muscle Shoals to our home in Littleville after a night of shopping and eating. However, the staff continues to research as we endeavor to tell the stories of all who lived at Belmont. My Dad bought it at that time. 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. Sold by the Acklen family in 1887, the house went to a developer who began one of Nashvilles early suburbs. Is it not appropriate to celebrate momentous occasions in beautiful places? Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time. Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale. 68 were here. The other residents seem to tolerate it OK, but I hate it. I remember her sounding really flippant about it and me wondering how being shot at was not a big deal! Countless Haunt Hunters have been arrested, ticketed, and reprimanded by the authorities for trespassing. Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. n 1832. Nearby, an early 1800s mansion, Belle Mont, is available for touring. The architecture of Belmont Mansion makes it one of the most significant homes of 19th century Tennessee. 3. Even though it is now just 24 acres, many of the important elements remain. Then you maybe talk to family members and realize everyone feels the same way. The schooner Clotilda smuggled African captives into the U.S. in 1860, more than 50 years after importing slaves was outlawed. My great great great great grandfather used to live at the belle mont mansion ! Sign up for our newsletter and receive Halloween event updates, discounts and more! But fewer probably know that it . 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. At this time, the family decided to move to a different location but continued to hold Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in the mansion. The site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. 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. Visitors to the mansion have reported seeing dark shadowy figures walking the fields and have heard the sound of chains rattling near the house. Would like to know if anyone does know anything about it and any info in accordance with that reference. Belle Mont also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio," (Commission 2). Following the death of his wife Alexander Mitchell remarried and sold the plantation to Isaac and Catherine Winston and moved to Philadelphia in 1833. The historic home is the site of the annual Art of the Dish this week. The answer will always be a mystery. The only way to avoid offending anyone would be to stop celebrating anything, anywhere, at any time. All of these places, despite their histories, are objectively beautiful. As of Thursday morning, Alabama Historical Commission members have not responded to the letter or AL.coms emails and phone calls. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? According to census records, Mitchell enslaved 115 people at the cotton plantation.

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