Her aunt, who was only a few years older than her, got busted sneaking in/vandalizing the mansion. Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. It is best to play gospel or Christian radio in your house 24/7 to make them move on. Being new to the area, none of us knew of the Belmont Mansion or its location. Belle Meade plantation is one of the premier plantations in Tennessee and one of the top attractions in the state. Required fields are marked *. The home was built. Last edit to this listing: 1/16/2016 (2604 days ago). It once stretched over 5400 acres and hosted celebrities, presidents, and countless southern gentlemen. 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. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. The architecture of Belmont Mansion makes it one of the most significant homes of 19th century Tennessee. 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. At this time, the family decided to move to a different location but continued to hold Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in the mansion. 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. Will NOT be displayed. These families included the Baker and Snowden families, among others. Visit BelmontMansionEvents.com to review options to Elope in Nashville at Belmont Mansion. 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. All rights reserved. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. 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. Most Americans know that George Washington owned enslaved people at his Mount Vernon home. Montvale, the farm at Belmont, was destroyed in 1864. This would have been in the late 60s, early 70s I would guess. Belle Mont Mansion is a historic house museum open for guided tours. First, there is no such thing as a slave plantation. There are cotton plantations, sugar plantations, tobacco plantations, etc., etc., but no slave plantations. 2023 The Federalist, A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media. Its important the reality of what happened in these spaces is present, versus a romanticization of human rights abuses.. A tour of this Nashville plantation tells the story . Their appetites will not be satisfied until all things and persons associated with injustice, real or imagined, are expunged from public experience and memory. The celebration of a Plantation Christmas is racist, the letter reads. Use the "Browse" or "Choose File" button below to select an image to upload along with your comment. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. Indeed, it was brutal and terrifying. 1569 Cook Lane, Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674 View Map CONTACT Site Director: Ninon Parker Museum: 256- 381-5052 Email: bellemontmansion@gmail.com 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. Constructed in the 1820s, Belle Mont fell into ruin until the Alabama Historical Commission rescued it in the 1980s. Let us know! Contact the museum for current rates, policies, and an application. 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. 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. Belle Mont was erected in 1828 for a physician from Louisa County, Virginia, Dr. Alexander Williams Mitchell. Multiple north Alabama organizations are demanding an apology after a Christmas event was held at a Colbert County plantation mansion where enslaved people once labored. One was a bluish light, the other one looked golden. 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. 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. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! An Alabama Historical Commission site, Belle Mont was built 1828-1832 and is one of the state's first great plantation houses. The letter was also sent to Ninon Parker, who is listed as a site director for the Belle Mont Mansion. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Doors open and close. Be happy. 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." 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. According to the letter, Christmas was a disturbing time for the enslaved. This design is derived from the neoclassical architectural style of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. Very little historic data, including census records, include last names of those who were enslaved, making it challenging to locate descendents through geneaology records. Slave child's doll inside Belle Mont Mansion. Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. The historic home is the site of the annual Art of the Dish this week. 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). Belle Mont's out-buildings are no longer standing, but several foundations, including that of a slave house, have been located by archeologists. Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few . 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. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. Surely, we do not want to pretend these places dont have a violent, racist past. Yes, its true that some historical artifacts across Americas landscape are honored in ways that belittle or demean our fellow countrymen. This 1860 census, also called a Slave Schedule, provides a limited picture of all who were living at Belmont and where they lived. 68 were here. 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. My Dad bought it at that time. 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. The schooner Clotilda smuggled African captives into the U.S. in 1860, more than 50 years after importing slaves was outlawed. The National Paranormal Society is not responsible for individuals, teams and submissions listed on the NPS website. Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont, Discover the largest house built in Tennesse. Affordable Nashville Elopements start here! Happy haunting! Plantation Christmas at Belle Mont is held annually the first Sunday in December and features period costumed interpreters, decorations, refreshments, and entertainment. Its two-story north entrance salon is flanked on either side by a formal dining room and parlor. 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? Is it not appropriate to celebrate momentous occasions in beautiful places? It was the centerpiece of a 1,760 acre cotton plantation and had one of the largest slave populations in the state. Moreover, the entire. We went back there, and I finished the project, with help from all was involved. It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. Join now to unlock comments, browse ad-free, and access exclusive content from your favorite FDRLST writers. Belle Mont, built between 1828 and 1832, was a plantation that used slave labor. I came out of the cellar and saw Ronnie sitting in my truck, so I asked if he had came into the cellar, he told me no. Then you maybe talk to family members and realize everyone feels the same way. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont. Before you visit ANY local real haunt, make sure to acquire the appropriate permits and/or permissions, and be respectful of privately owned properties. Three years later, during the middle of the. 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? 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. It also reflects the vulnerability of American businesses to the whims of leftist protest movements. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! 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. No haunted tours for me. 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. At the time, the name of the plantation was not Gay Mont, but Rose Hill. 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. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. Stories of the Past - Conversations for the Future. For more information, click here. 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. Use of the directory is at the discretion of the individual. And in the process, these attacks have unintended economic consequences on working-class Americans. She said he would come out shooting if he caught trespassers. I got chills then tried to write it off. This mansion is believed to have been influenced by Palladian style architecture for which Thomas Jefferson is known. Peace to everyone. Administrative use only. 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. I have experienced some very strange things in my home. Voice your opinion here! Ninon Parker puts candles out on the table fully set for dinner at Belle Mont Mansion in Colbert County. Her eyes, big as saucers, alarm me. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. 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. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? Couple looking at a car in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Blanket from Belle Mont Mansion. 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. Its just really weird that we both saw this happen at the exact same time. Not sure if it did or not but sure does fit. Tickets may also be purchased by credit card by calling the museum at 256-381-5052 or online . Unlock premium content, ad-free browsing, and access to comments for just $4/month. Belle Mont is available for special events. Its also not as if Dixie estates were the only sites where acts of brutality were committed by one group of Americans against another. Marble bust of Helen Keller. 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. He says, the man that lives in that house. still pointing. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). Just one if many weird, cant explain it things that have happened here. Indeed, it is the Christian character of America that has allowed us to recognize and seek to rectify our past errors. Visit BelmontMansionEvents.com to review options to Elope in Nashville at Belmont Mansion. The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. Yet self-righteous assaults on these places and the many ways they are used will not bring restorative justice. 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. As of Thursday morning, Alabama Historical Commission members have not responded to the letter or AL.coms emails and phone calls. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. My wife, son (age 5) and I were heading from Muscle Shoals to our home in Littleville after a night of shopping and eating. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? Sold by the Acklen family in 1887, the house went to a developer who began one of Nashvilles early suburbs. When i was 17 years old, Belle Mont Plantation house was in very bad shape and had not had any restoration done to it yet. Discover the largest house built in Tennessee prior to the Civil War. Strange are there actually any African Americans who have memories of the antebellum period, given that it ended 160 years ago? 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. Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. 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 great great great great grandfather used to live at the belle mont mansion ! He was not buried on the property as many legends say but in the Winston Family Cemetery in Tuscumbia as was his wife Catherine who died July 25, 1884. Belle Mont Mansion has resumed normal operating hours and will be operating at reduced capacity to safeguard against COVID-19. The organization behind this growing movement, Color of Change, indicts vendors for using words like breathtaking to describe plantations. Your email address will not be published. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. 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 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. === A monument was errected in 2008 on the old Henry Courthouse square in Martinsville, VA. . 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. My wife and I went to the mansion and learned of its peculiarities from the informative guide person. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The site originally served as the centerpiece for the large scale cotton. 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. 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. "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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. 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 Knot, WeddingWire, and Pinterest are seeking to limit content on their websites that promotes Southern plantations as a wedding venue. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. It is said to be haunted by slaves who died on the grounds and also by former owners. It's currently operated as a museum, and tours are available. One account is from young William Acklin, a enslaved worker, and the other from a visitor to the estate. Visitors to the mansion have reported seeing dark shadowy figures walking the fields and have heard the sound of chains rattling near the house. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! ?????? You feel things passing by you. Not-So-Scary Haunted Houses (Kid Friendly). LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Shoals, Shoals Young Democrats and Rev. Catholics in the 19th century suffered violent assaults at the hands of anti-papist mobs on the streets of Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. 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. Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. Shes told me that prior to the restorations the mansion was a prime site for local teens to be dumb kids trespass, vandalize, etc. The property is also available for tours Thursday through Sunday and for special event rentals. It was one of those drizzly unpleasant days, so after a while I went into the Cellar area of the plantation. 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. It was built in 1940 on some of the land near General John Coffees home. Be specific. I have lived here since 1963. What county in Alabama had the most slaves? The answer will always be a mystery. Belle Mont's out-buildings are no longer standing, but several foundations, including that of a slave house, have been located by archeologists. Small items like dimes and nails are moved. No profanity. 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. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? 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. 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. Open Letter Plantation Christmas by Jonece on Scribd. 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, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. I have heard quiet voices in the night. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. We have located just two first-hand accounts of slavery at Belmont. Isaac Winston owned 114 slaves according to the 1860 census and died August 13, 1863 at Bell Mont during the American Civil War. "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. According to census records, Mitchell enslaved 115 people at the cotton plantation. Even though it is now just 24 acres, many of the important elements remain. The groups who are critiquing the event in Tuscumbia believe historical sites must be honest and respectful. General Martin retired to his Belle Mont plantation at Leatherwood, which he purchased in 1796 from Benjamin Harrison V of Berkeley Plantation. Protest movements that perceive victimization and microaggression under every rock also wreak havoc on our countrys economy. Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few Palladian-style houses in the Deep South. Have a haunt/halloween related news story or a tip? 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. Owned by the Alabama Historical Commission and operated by the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation. Off Campus Book Store University of North Alabama, Norton Auditorium University of North Alabama. You can imagine me trying to picture my great aunt doing this, haha! 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). Just outside the city of Tuscumbia, the 700+ acre Cane Creek Canyon Nature . Casey Chalk is a senior contributor at The Federalist and an editor and columnist at The New Oxford Review. Located in the heart of Nashville on the Belmont University Campus. All rights reserved. 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. 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?
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