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Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! 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. 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. 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 historic home is the site of the annual Art of the Dish this week. 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. I was born and raised in Tuscumbia. 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. At this time, the family decided to move to a different location but continued to hold Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in the mansion. 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? 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. 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. 68 were here. Protest movements that perceive victimization and microaggression under every rock also wreak havoc on our countrys economy. I have heard quiet voices in the night. Belle Mont Mansion is located outside of Tuscumbia. Open Letter Plantation Christmas by Jonece on Scribd. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. 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. Nanyehi was among the first Cherokee to own African-American slaves. It was the centerpiece of a 1,760 acre cotton plantation and had one of the largest slave populations in the state. 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? The abandonment of the home was the largest cause of its deterioration and the vandalism that occurred at Belle Mont. Group of women standing outside Belle Mont Mansion. Not-So-Scary Haunted Houses (Kid Friendly). As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. Disclaimer: Alabama Haunted Houses does not endorse or support trespassing to visit real haunts. All of these places, despite their histories, are objectively beautiful. The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. Contextualizing former slave plantations has been a concern across the nation. 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. 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. 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. 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. Tell Us About Your Experience(s) at Belle Mont. The answer will always be a mystery. In 1833, the property was bought by Issac Williams, who owned 119 enslaved people by 1855. Is this place really haunted? One was a bluish light, the other one looked golden. 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). As of Thursday morning, Alabama Historical Commission members have not responded to the letter or AL.coms emails and phone calls. 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 was erected in 1828 for a physician from Louisa County, Virginia, Dr. Alexander Williams Mitchell. Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! Plantation Christmas at Belle Mont is held annually the first Sunday in December and features period costumed interpreters, decorations, refreshments, and entertainment. No profanity. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. 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. 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. LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Shoals, Shoals Young Democrats and Rev. Last edit to this listing: 1/16/2016 (2604 days ago). 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. I asked, Do you see him now? in a jested way as I awkwardly half-smile to my wife. 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! Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. "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. The Winston family maintained ownership and continued living in Belle Mont through the Civil War and until around 1940. Located in the heart of Nashville on the Belmont University Campus. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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 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). 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. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). 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. 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. All rights reserved. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Use of the directory is at the discretion of the individual. This is not a good thing. Its two-story north entrance salon is flanked on either side by a formal dining room and parlor. 2023 The Federalist, A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media. 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. These families included the Baker and Snowden families, among others. In. Wesley Thompson of Bethel Colbert Missionary Baptists Church also signed the letter. 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. Your CommentsHave a photograph taken from this location? He has a bachelors in history and masters in teaching from the University of Virginia and a masters in theology from Christendom College. The antebellum plantation experience, as lived by the enslaved, was neither happy nor joyous. The tell when I was growing up was that the book 13 Alabama Ghosts held a tell from that house. What do you think? Three years later, during the middle of the. You feel things passing by you. Some visitors say that the building . The site originally served as the centerpiece for the large scale cotton. Belle Mont was built for Alexander Williams Mitchell, who grew up in Louisa County, Virginia, only 25 miles from Jefferson's home at Monticello. It was built in 1940 on some of the land near General John Coffees home. Visitors to the mansion have reported seeing dark shadowy figures walking the fields and have heard the sound of chains rattling near the house. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. Although the original architect and builder remain unknown, the style of Belle Mont appears also to have been influenced by past. 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. View all AHC Owned Historic Houses & Museums. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? The architecture of Belmont Mansion makes it one of the most significant homes of 19th century Tennessee. We went back there, and I finished the project, with help from all was involved. 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. I dont know any ghost stories but my mother tells a few funny stories. 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. Slaves in the plantation generations were members of what Berlin calls "slave societies," where slavery was the primary source of labor. 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. 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 Clicks to Website: 293 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? 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. This mansion is believed to have been influenced by Palladian style architecture for which Thomas Jefferson is known. 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. Because of the tragedies that transpired therin, they powerfully communicate how far America has come. Four bedrooms surround the rear or south courtyard, forming its U-shaped brick exterior. Strange are there actually any African Americans who have memories of the antebellum period, given that it ended 160 years ago? Indeed, I wonder how many black Americans even have a deceased grandparent who could have had a memory of antebellum America. Happy haunting! Then you maybe talk to family members and realize everyone feels the same way. Following the death of his wife Alexander Mitchell remarried and sold the plantation to Isaac and Catherine Winston and moved to Philadelphia in 1833. 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. Stay safe. According to the letter, Christmas was a disturbing time for the enslaved. Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. Sold by the Acklen family in 1887, the house went to a developer who began one of Nashvilles early suburbs. The house and surrounding property are reportedly haunted by the former slaves that lived and died on the plantation. Yes, its true that some historical artifacts across Americas landscape are honored in ways that belittle or demean our fellow countrymen. Shes told me that prior to the restorations the mansion was a prime site for local teens to be dumb kids trespass, vandalize, etc. Doors open and close. 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. Your email address will not be published. It remained in the Winston family for over a century, and is currently used as a historic house museum open for tours by appointment. Belle Mont Mansion , built circa 1828, is one of the few examples of Palladian-style houses in Alabama. === A monument was errected in 2008 on the old Henry Courthouse square in Martinsville, VA. . 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. The schooner Clotilda smuggled African captives into the U.S. in 1860, more than 50 years after importing slaves was outlawed. Casey Chalk is a senior contributor at The Federalist and an editor and columnist at The New Oxford Review. A majority of rooms in Belmont Mansion have been meticulously restored. This design is derived from the neoclassical architectural style of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. Now, thats poetic justice. 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. At this time, the family decided to move to a different location but continued to hold Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in the mansion. 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 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. 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. 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. Not sure if it did or not but sure does fit. What county in Alabama had the most slaves? 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. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. Moreover, the entire. Its just really weird that we both saw this happen at the exact same time. Sold by the Acklen family in 1887, the house went to a developer who began one of Nashvilles early suburbs. William F. Buckleys popularization of Eric Voegelins warning is apt: Dont immanentize the eschaton!. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. 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. Owned by the Alabama Historical Commission and operated by the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation. Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale. Let us know! Visitors to this page: 3,182 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.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. 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. Gradually, the family gatherings became less frequent until the home was completely abandoned. Positioned on a commanding hilltop, Belle Mont Mansion is one of Alabama's crowning architectural achievements. The site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. My great great great great grandfather used to live at the belle mont mansion ! Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? Her aunt, who was only a few years older than her, got busted sneaking in/vandalizing the mansion. Use the "Browse" or "Choose File" button below to select an image to upload along with your comment. 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. 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. Belle Mont was erected in 1828 for a physician from Louisa County, Virginia, Dr. Alexander Williams Mitchell. Its important the reality of what happened in these spaces is present, versus a romanticization of human rights abuses..
