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. Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@reckonmedia.com, hired a black historian to research the site's enslavement history, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. Belle Mont, built between 1828 and 1832, was a plantation that used slave labor. The site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. The voices in the night are the hardest to explain away. Their appetites will not be satisfied until all things and persons associated with injustice, real or imagined, are expunged from public experience and memory. Contact the museum for current rates, policies, and an application. 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 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. All rights reserved (About Us). The antebellum plantation experience, as lived by the enslaved, was neither happy nor joyous. Marble bust of Helen Keller. Most Americans know that George Washington owned enslaved people at his Mount Vernon home. Now, thats poetic justice. In each society and in each generation slaves adjusted and . Yet self-righteous assaults on these places and the many ways they are used will not bring restorative justice. Gift Shop (111 S. Main St., Tuscumbia). 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. It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. A majority of rooms in Belmont Mansion have been meticulously restored. Your CommentsHave a photograph taken from this location? And have seen shadows and once a figure of a person. 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). Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. 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, 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. Many of them, even their detractors must admit, are beautiful, both in reference to their natural surroundings and their architecture. The National Paranormal Society is not responsible for individuals, teams and submissions listed on the NPS website. You can visit the historic Belle Mont Mansion at 1569 Cook Ln., Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674. We went back there, and I finished the project, with help from all was involved. Chronological snobbery, as C.S. Not sure if it did or not but sure does fit. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The groups who are critiquing the event in Tuscumbia believe historical sites must be honest and respectful. Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! 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. Be specific. The Miracle Worker organ. Sign up for our newsletter and receive Halloween event updates, discounts and more! Group rates available. The letter was signed by social justice groups Project Say Something, Standing in Power, of Decatur, and Beyond the Women's March. This 1860 census, also called a Slave Schedule, provides a limited picture of all who were living at Belmont and where they lived. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. The schooner Clotilda smuggled African captives into the U.S. in 1860, more than 50 years after importing slaves was outlawed. He has a bachelors in history and masters in teaching from the University of Virginia and a masters in theology from Christendom College. It remained in the Winston family for over a century, and is currently used as a historic house museum open for tours by appointment. "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. You feel things passing by you. 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. Ninon Parker puts candles out on the table fully set for dinner at Belle Mont Mansion in Colbert County. I got chills then tried to write it off. General Martin retired to his Belle Mont plantation at Leatherwood, which he purchased in 1796 from Benjamin Harrison V of Berkeley Plantation. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! What Todays Cultural Marxists Would Be Wise To Learn From Martin Luther King Jr. Tickets may also be purchased by credit card by calling the museum at 256-381-5052 or online . We also dont need to police their repurposing. 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. Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont, Discover the largest house built in Tennesse. 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. That seems far more justified than puritannical policing of plantations. The use of the NPS name for any unauthorized events or activities is strictly prohibited. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. Do not use all capital letters. The site originally served as the centerpiece for the large scale cotton. 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. 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! Shes told me that prior to the restorations the mansion was a prime site for local teens to be dumb kids trespass, vandalize, etc. What do you think? My mother also said that there was a man, a caretaker of some sort, that lived in a house at the foot of the hill at some point during this time. Very little historic data, including census records, include last names of those who were enslaved, making it challenging to locate descendents through geneaology records. Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few Palladian-style houses in the Deep South. At the time, the name of the plantation was not Gay Mont, but Rose Hill. Its important the reality of what happened in these spaces is present, versus a romanticization of human rights abuses.. Happy haunting! I remember her sounding really flippant about it and me wondering how being shot at was not a big deal! The site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. 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. You can imagine me trying to picture my great aunt doing this, haha! My great great great great grandfather used to live at the belle mont mansion ! If such locales have tragic histories, this is all the more reason to reimagine them in ways that both recognize and overcome that past. The first slaves arrived to Belle Meade in 1807, and as decades rolled on, the number of slaves tripled to 136 of by 1860 based on the 1860 census record. According to census records, Mitchell enslaved 115 people at the cotton plantation. 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. Stories of the Past - Conversations for the Future. 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 Winston family maintained ownership and continued living in Belle Mont through the Civil War and until around 1940. 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. This mansion is believed to have been influenced by Palladian style architecture for which Thomas Jefferson is known. The other residents seem to tolerate it OK, but I hate it. Belle Mont Mansion is a historic house museum open for guided tours. Visit BelmontMansionEvents.com to review options to Elope in Nashville at Belmont Mansion. Went back into the cellar a coupple more times, but never had that akward feeling again. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. I asked, Do you see him now? in a jested way as I awkwardly half-smile to my wife. All information on this page was submitted to Alabama Haunted Houses and was believed to be accurate at the time it was posted. She said he would come out shooting if he caught trespassers. 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. 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. n 1832. 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. Belle Mont was built for Alexander Williams Mitchell, who grew up in Louisa County, Virginia, only 25 miles from Jefferson's home at Monticello. Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation, Inc. is the support group in charge of operating the site. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. Slave child's doll inside Belle Mont Mansion. Belle Mont Mansion is being restored and partially furnished to reflect the antebellum, or pre-Civil War, time period. Visitors to the mansion have reported seeing dark shadowy figures walking the fields and have heard the sound of chains rattling near the house. Weddings should be a symbol of love and unity. I dont know any ghost stories but my mother tells a few funny stories. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. Wesley Thompson of Bethel Colbert Missionary Baptists Church also signed the letter. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. 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. 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? Being new to the area, none of us knew of the Belmont Mansion or its location. Voice your opinion here! Constructed in the 1820s, Belle Mont fell into ruin until the Alabama Historical Commission rescued it in the 1980s. The underlying premise of the anti-plantation movement is that Southern plantations cannot be romanticized. 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. Just one if many weird, cant explain it things that have happened here. The Alabama Historical Commission owns this historic site. 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 Conway family purchased the property in 1670 and it remained in the family for 120 years. The letter was also sent to Ninon Parker, who is listed as a site director for the Belle Mont Mansion. 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. Its also not as if Dixie estates were the only sites where acts of brutality were committed by one group of Americans against another. Visit BelmontMansionEvents.com to review options to Elope in Nashville at Belmont Mansion. 3. 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. 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. I was born and raised in Tuscumbia. Last edit to this listing: 1/16/2016 (2604 days ago). At this time, the family decided to move to a different location but continued to hold Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in the mansion. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. Jones says her new title is one she holds . These families included the Baker and Snowden families, among others. Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few . 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. 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! Be happy. Id suggest a far better solution for prospective newlyweds, regardless of race or ethnicity, would be to get married where they should: in a church. Located in the middle of the Belmont University campusbehind Freeman Hall. The answer will always be a mystery. 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). 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. Blue Star Museum: Belle Mont proudly offers free admission to active duty military personnel and their families between Memorial Day and Labor Day. It is said to be haunted by slaves who died on the grounds and also by former owners. 2023 The Federalist, A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media. He is the author of The Persecuted: True Stories of Courageous Christians Living Their Faith in Muslim Lands. Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. 2008-2023 AlabamaHauntedHouses.com. One account is from young William Acklin, a enslaved worker, and the other from a visitor to the estate. As of Thursday morning, Alabama Historical Commission members have not responded to the letter or AL.coms emails and phone calls. Belle Mont was erected in 1828 for a physician from Louisa County, Virginia, Dr. Alexander Williams Mitchell.
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