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Located in the middle of the Belmont University campusbehind Freeman Hall. It remained in the Winston family for over a century, and is currently used as a historic house museum open for tours by appointment. Strange are there actually any African Americans who have memories of the antebellum period, given that it ended 160 years ago? Discover the largest house built in Tennessee prior to the Civil War. The architecture of Belmont Mansion makes it one of the most significant homes of 19th century Tennessee. Group of women standing outside Belle Mont Mansion. Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville TN: Horses, History, Wine Shes told me that prior to the restorations the mansion was a prime site for local teens to be dumb kids trespass, vandalize, etc. Many of them, even their detractors must admit, are beautiful, both in reference to their natural surroundings and their architecture. Belle Mont Mansion | Tuscumbia AL Belle Mont's out-buildings are no longer standing, but several foundations, including that of a slave house, have been located by archeologists. 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. 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. Small items like dimes and nails are moved. My wife and I went to the mansion and learned of its peculiarities from the informative guide person. 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. Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! The use of the NPS name for any unauthorized events or activities is strictly prohibited. The 7 Best Plantation Day Trips And Tours In Alabama - OnlyInYourState In 1833, the property was bought by Issac Williams, who owned 119 enslaved people by 1855. Ninon Parker puts candles out on the table fully set for dinner at Belle Mont Mansion in Colbert County. All rights reserved (About Us). The Knot, WeddingWire, and Pinterest are seeking to limit content on their websites that promotes Southern plantations as a wedding venue. Visitors to this page: 3,182 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. It once stretched over 5400 acres and hosted celebrities, presidents, and countless southern gentlemen. The coalition said the event celebrated white supremacy by ignoring the enslaved people who labored at the cotton plantation. The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. Voice your opinion here! 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. 2008-2023 AlabamaHauntedHouses.com. The letter was signed by social justice groups Project Say Something, Standing in Power, of Decatur, and Beyond the Women's March. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! "While the holidays brought a brief respite from work, many enslaved people took the opportunity to escape the bondage of the plantation," the letter said. Records of the property's destruction includes information related to the number of slave dwellings on the property. 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. The site originally served as the centerpiece for the large scale cotton. 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. What do you think? Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few Palladian-style houses in the Deep South. Surely, we do not want to pretend these places dont have a violent, racist past. Stories of the Past - Conversations for the Future. The property remained in the family until 1941 and in 1983 the house and 35 acres was donated to the State of Alabama by the Fennel family. According to the letter, Christmas was a disturbing time for the enslaved. Moreover, the entire. Last edit to this listing: 1/16/2016 (2604 days ago). It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. The only way to avoid offending anyone would be to stop celebrating anything, anywhere, at any time. 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. Plantation Christmas at Belle Mont is held annually the first Sunday in December and features period costumed interpreters, decorations, refreshments, and entertainment. BG Joseph Lynch Martin Jr. (1740-1808) - Find a Grave Memorial Blue Star Museum: Belle Mont proudly offers free admission to active duty military personnel and their families between Memorial Day and Labor Day. 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. 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 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. Related Videos Video #1 This style stems from the neoclassical architectural design of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. "The celebration of a 'Plantation Christmas' represents a willful ignorance of the experience of enslaved people and a concocted memory of a joyous, white supremacist Christmas celebration," the letter said. Use the "Browse" or "Choose File" button below to select an image to upload along with your comment. Clicks to Website: 293 Not-So-Scary Haunted Houses (Kid Friendly). Wesley Thompson of Bethel Colbert Missionary Baptists Church also signed the letter. It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. The answer will always be a mystery. === A monument was errected in 2008 on the old Henry Courthouse square in Martinsville, VA. . 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. List of plantations in Virginia - Wikipedia Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. 379 Tuscumbia Alabama Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images It's currently operated as a museum, and tours are available. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. Her eyes, big as saucers, alarm me. Belle Mont is available for special events. Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. Peace to everyone. Art of the Dish at the Historic Belle Mont Mansion | Gallery I asked, Do you see him now? in a jested way as I awkwardly half-smile to my wife. 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. Visit BelmontMansionEvents.com to review options to Elope in Nashville at Belmont Mansion. Its also not as if Dixie estates were the only sites where acts of brutality were committed by one group of Americans against another. 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. Sold by the Acklen family in 1887, the house went to a developer who began one of Nashvilles early suburbs. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. Isaac Winston owned 114 slaves according to the 1860 census and died August 13, 1863 at Bell Mont during the American Civil War. I mention this because Gay Mont was his home. The property is also available for tours Thursday through Sunday and for special event rentals. Society of slaves: stereotypes fall - Baltimore Sun 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. 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. Art of the Dish at Belle Mont | This Week | courierjournal.net All rights reserved. What county in Alabama had the most slaves? 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. However, the staff continues to research as we endeavor to tell the stories of all who lived at Belmont. 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? 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). Join now to unlock comments, browse ad-free, and access exclusive content from your favorite FDRLST writers. Being new to the area, none of us knew of the Belmont Mansion or its location. My wife, son (age 5) and I were heading from Muscle Shoals to our home in Littleville after a night of shopping and eating. Gradually, the family gatherings became less frequent until the home was completely abandoned. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. According to census records, Mitchell enslaved 115 people at the cotton plantation. Blanket from Belle Mont Mansion. "It is unacceptable to subject the descendants of enslaved African Americans to whitewashed versions of history that ignore their ancestors experience.". Tickets may also be purchased by credit card by calling the museum at 256-381-5052 or online . As of Thursday morning, Alabama Historical Commission members have not responded to the letter or AL.coms emails and phone calls. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. 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." 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. She said he would come out shooting if he caught trespassers. Slavery at Belmont - old page | belmontmansion Have a haunt/halloween related news story or a tip? Plantations used for bourgeois ceremonies with language that obscures or even glorifies the estates dark past are one example. 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. This was just word of mouth and may not have been accurate, but Im glad to hear it can be toured. 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. Plantation Home Tours in Alabama | Getaway USA - The Arizona Republic This would have been in the late 60s, early 70s I would guess. 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? 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. 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. 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. Not sure if it did or not but sure does fit. 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. It was the centerpiece of a 1,760 acre cotton plantation and had one of the largest slave populations in the state. Founded in 2008, AlabamaHauntedHouses.com is a simple and unique online haunted event & attraction resource created to make it easy for locals to find Haunted House, Spook Walk, Corn Maze, and other Halloween Attractions in their local area. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. 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. The underlying premise of the anti-plantation movement is that Southern plantations cannot be romanticized. Stay safe. Is it not appropriate to celebrate momentous occasions in beautiful places? 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. 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. Indeed, I wonder how many black Americans even have a deceased grandparent who could have had a memory of antebellum America. Just one if many weird, cant explain it things that have happened here. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. History - Belle Mont Mansion A majority of rooms in Belmont Mansion have been meticulously restored. In 1790, John Hipkins purchased the property from the Conway family and in 1791 built Belle Grove for his only child, Fannie. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. Went back into the cellar a coupple more times, but never had that akward feeling again. Nor do the sins of our forefathers nullify their many acts of virtue or the great political and cultural gifts they bestowed upon future generations. Couple looking at a car in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Montvale, the farm at Belmont, was destroyed in 1864. 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? 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. Nanyehi was among the first Cherokee to own African-American slaves. Doors open and close. Because of the tragedies that transpired therin, they powerfully communicate how far America has come. 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. 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 Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Marble bust of Helen Keller. The organization behind this growing movement, Color of Change, indicts vendors for using words like breathtaking to describe plantations. Your CommentsHave a photograph taken from this location? All of these places, despite their histories, are objectively beautiful. 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. 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. 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). 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. Group rates available.