Gradually, the family gatherings became less frequent until the home was completely abandoned. Contextualizing former slave plantations has been a concern across the nation. Positioned on a commanding hilltop, Belle Mont Mansion is one of Alabama's crowning architectural achievements. 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. 2023 The Federalist, A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media. It is said to be haunted by slaves who died on the grounds and also by former owners. This gets to the broader dilemma with our zeitgeist, which combines woke deconstructionism with a modern version of damnatio memoriae, or condemnation of memory, an ancient Roman practice whereby persons vilified by the state were erased from public memory. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Located in the middle of the Belmont University campusbehind Freeman Hall. Administrative use only. 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. The architecture of Belmont Mansion makes it one of the most significant homes of 19th century Tennessee. Off Campus Book Store University of North Alabama, Norton Auditorium University of North Alabama. At this time, the family decided to move to a different location but continued to hold Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in the 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. 379 Tuscumbia Alabama Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images My Dad bought it at that time. Belmont Mansion (Tennessee) - Wikipedia If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. Haunted Places in Tupelo, Mississippi These families included the Baker and Snowden families, among others. 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. Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont, Discover the largest house built in Tennesse. 2019 was the year it finally became socially unacceptable to use a historic plantation as a wedding venue. The other residents seem to tolerate it OK, but I hate it. 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. 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. Join now to unlock comments, browse ad-free, and access exclusive content from your favorite FDRLST writers. Plantation Christmas event near Tuscumbia 'racist', groups say Violence against blacks and other disenfranchised groups have occurred across our nation's landscape, many in popular and well-trod locales, North and South, East and West. Then they could celebrate their wedding reception at a Southern manor and have a hell of a good time. Montvale, the farm at Belmont, was destroyed in 1864. That seems far more justified than puritannical policing of plantations. Belle Meade plantation takes a deeper look into the lives of its slaves I asked, Do you see him now? in a jested way as I awkwardly half-smile to my wife. 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. Its also not as if Dixie estates were the only sites where acts of brutality were committed by one group of Americans against another. Belle Mont Mansion | Encyclopedia of Alabama 2008-2023 AlabamaHauntedHouses.com. Please report any inaccuracies. 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. He is the author of The Persecuted: True Stories of Courageous Christians Living Their Faith in Muslim Lands. Be specific. Contact the museum for current rates, policies, and an application. Her eyes, big as saucers, alarm me. The letter was signed by social justice groups Project Say Something, Standing in Power, of Decatur, and Beyond the Women's March. Affordable Nashville Elopements start here! Happy haunting! Belle Mont Mansion has been listed under several names through its history. 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. Records of the property's destruction includes information related to the number of slave dwellings on the property. 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. 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. The designer is unknown but seems to have been influenced by Thomas Jefferson's ideas and style. n 1832. Chronological snobbery, as C.S. The 7 Best Plantation Day Trips And Tours In Alabama - OnlyInYourState An Alabama Historical Commission site, Belle Mont was built 1828-1832 and is one of the state's first great plantation houses. This would have been in the late 60s, early 70s I would guess. Couple looking at a car in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. If People Can't Get Married On Plantations, They Can't Marry Anywhere A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. Belle Mont | Tuscumbia Alabama | Real Haunted Place All of these places, despite their histories, are objectively beautiful. For more information, click here. Belle Mont was erected in 1828 for a physician from Louisa County, Virginia, Dr. Alexander Williams Mitchell. I was born and raised in Tuscumbia. Marble bust of Helen Keller. 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. 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. My wife and I went to the mansion and learned of its peculiarities from the informative guide person. Belle Mont Mansion - The National Paranormal Society Not-So-Scary Haunted Houses (Kid Friendly). Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. 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. If such locales have tragic histories, this is all the more reason to reimagine them in ways that both recognize and overcome that past. Plantation Christmas at Belle Mont is held annually the first Sunday in December and features period costumed interpreters, decorations, refreshments, and entertainment. 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. Wesley Thompson of Bethel Colbert Missionary Baptists Church also signed the letter. At first you think this is all in your imagination. Earlier this month, prodded by the group Color of Change, four wedding websites said they . 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. 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. "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. Discover the largest house built in Tennessee prior to the Civil War. Surely, we do not want to pretend these places dont have a violent, racist past. According to the letter, Christmas was a disturbing time for the enslaved. 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. It remained in the Winston family for over a century, and is currently used as a historic house museum open for tours by appointment. Have a haunt/halloween related news story or a tip? While slavery is often associated with large plantations, the institution permeated Southern culture. Belle Mont isnt included in either of Kathryn Tucker Windhams books about Alabama ghosts. It was one of those drizzly unpleasant days, so after a while I went into the Cellar area of the plantation. Owned by the Alabama Historical Commission and operated by the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation. Peace to everyone. 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. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? The Belle Mont Mansion was constructed from 1828-1832. The schooner Clotilda smuggled African captives into the U.S. in 1860, more than 50 years after importing slaves was outlawed. Being new to the area, none of us knew of the Belmont Mansion or its location. The house and surrounding property are reportedly haunted by the former slaves that lived and died on the plantation. We have located just two first-hand accounts of slavery at Belmont. Tickets may also be purchased by credit card by calling the museum at 256-381-5052 or online . It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale. Black people dont have happy memories of the antebellum period and plantations, where our ancestors were beaten and tortured, said senior campaign director Jade Magnus Ogunnaike. Use the "Browse" or "Choose File" button below to select an image to upload along with your comment. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. Welcome to mystery411 Haunted Belle Mont Tuscumbia page. Three years later, during the middle of the. The abandonment of the home was the largest cause of its deterioration and the vandalism that occurred at Belle Mont. 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. The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. Things seem to be at their worst after midnight, until early dawn. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 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. It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? Plantation Christmas celebrations should be canceled. 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? This mansion is believed to have been influenced by Palladian style architecture for which Thomas Jefferson is known. ?????? Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. It was the centerpiece of a 1,760 acre cotton plantation and had one of the largest slave populations in the state. Protest movements that perceive victimization and microaggression under every rock also wreak havoc on our countrys economy. Will NOT be displayed. Tickets are available at Belle Mont Mansion and at Fiddledee D! 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. Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! 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. Nanyehi was among the first Cherokee to own African-American slaves. All submissions made to The National Paranormal Society, for the purposes of data analysis, article or editorial publication, team, individual or service listing, or any other submission category not listed become the property of the NPS. We also dont need to police their repurposing. Be happy. The Winston family maintained ownership and continued living in Belle Mont through the Civil War and until around 1940. 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. 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. 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. Belle Mont attracts approximately 5,000 visitors each year. Its just really weird that we both saw this happen at the exact same time. I got chills then tried to write it off. 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. A majority of rooms in Belmont Mansion have been meticulously restored. 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). In addition, volunteers from the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation assist as docents for special events and participate in fund-raising activities. The site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. It was the centerpiece of a 1,760 acre cotton plantation and had one of the largest slave populations in the state. Art of the Dish at Belle Mont | This Week | courierjournal.net 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 Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. The Massive, Overlooked Role of Female Slave Owners Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? You feel things passing by you. 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. Their appetites will not be satisfied until all things and persons associated with injustice, real or imagined, are expunged from public experience and memory. Belle Mont Mansion | Haunted Places | Tuscumbia, AL 35674 But she never mentioned any slave ghosts. You can imagine me trying to picture my great aunt doing this, haha! 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. Share Your Experience or Comments - Belle Mont. View all AHC Owned Historic Houses & Museums. Belle Mont Mansion is being restored and partially furnished to reflect the antebellum, or pre-Civil War, time period. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Group rates available. One was a bluish light, the other one looked golden. 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. Belle Mont also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio," (Commission 2). The site originally served as the centerpiece for the large scale cotton. Stay safe. One account is from young William Acklin, a enslaved worker, and the other from a visitor to the estate. The use of the NPS name for any unauthorized events or activities is strictly prohibited. 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 Before you visit ANY local real haunt, make sure to acquire the appropriate permits and/or permissions, and be respectful of privately owned properties. Its two-story north entrance salon is flanked on either side by a formal dining room and parlor. Slavery at Belmont - old page | belmontmansion 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. We went back there, and I finished the project, with help from all was involved. 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. Tell Us About Your Experience(s) at Belle Mont. I dont know any ghost stories but my mother tells a few funny stories. 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. Not sure if it did or not but sure does fit. Then you maybe talk to family members and realize everyone feels the same way. Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@reckonmedia.com, hired a black historian to research the site's enslavement history, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. The answer will always be a mystery. Plantation Home Tours in Alabama | Getaway USA - The Arizona Republic The antebellum plantation experience, as lived by the enslaved, was neither happy nor joyous. 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? Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. What do you think? Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. A tour of this Nashville plantation tells the story . This 1860 census, also called a Slave Schedule, provides a limited picture of all who were living at Belmont and where they lived. I dont think only certain places are as haunted, as the belief that there are paranormal things happening all around us everywhere, and just certain people are allowed to witness these things at certain times. Indeed, it was brutal and terrifying. How Did Slaves Get To Alabama? - CLJ Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont. Even though it is now just 24 acres, many of the important elements remain. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. In 1790, John Hipkins purchased the property from the Conway family and in 1791 built Belle Grove for his only child, Fannie. What Todays Cultural Marxists Would Be Wise To Learn From Martin Luther King Jr. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). Isaac Winston owned 114 slaves according to the 1860 census and died August 13, 1863 at Bell Mont during the American Civil War. 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. The architecture of Belmont Mansion makes it one of the most significant homes of 19th century Tennessee. In each society and in each generation slaves adjusted and . No haunted tours for me. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! First, there is no such thing as a slave plantation. There are cotton plantations, sugar plantations, tobacco plantations, etc., etc., but no slave plantations. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. Do not use all capital letters. Belle Mont Mansion is located outside of Tuscumbia. Belle Mont Mansion | Tuscumbia AL And in the process, these attacks have unintended economic consequences on working-class Americans. General Martin retired to his Belle Mont plantation at Leatherwood, which he purchased in 1796 from Benjamin Harrison V of Berkeley Plantation. Very little historic data, including census records, include last names of those who were enslaved, making it challenging to locate descendents through geneaology records. 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.

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