Join now to unlock comments, browse ad-free, and access exclusive content from your favorite FDRLST writers. Haunted Vacations, Adventures and Mysteries. It also reflects the vulnerability of American businesses to the whims of leftist protest movements. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. Administrative use only. 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). Ken is a graphic designer, web developer and co-founder of One True Paranormal, a para-group in southwest Missouri. 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). The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. 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. 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. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. . 1569 Cook Lane, Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674 View Map CONTACT Site Director: Ninon Parker Museum: 256- 381-5052 Email: [email protected] 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. Plantations used for bourgeois ceremonies with language that obscures or even glorifies the estates dark past are one example. 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. The answer will always be a mystery. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. Blue Star Museum: Belle Mont proudly offers free admission to active duty military personnel and their families between Memorial Day and Labor Day. 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. 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. Belle Mont isnt included in either of Kathryn Tucker Windhams books about Alabama ghosts. 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. Affordable Nashville Elopements start here! Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few Palladian-style houses in the Deep South. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Gradually, the family gatherings became less frequent until the home was completely abandoned. She said he would come out shooting if he caught trespassers. 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. And have seen shadows and once a figure of a person. Jones says her new title is one she holds . "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. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. 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? Clicks to Website: 293 Disclaimer: Alabama Haunted Houses does not endorse or support trespassing to visit real haunts. Ninon Parker puts candles out on the table fully set for dinner at Belle Mont Mansion in Colbert County. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! The groups who are critiquing the event in Tuscumbia believe historical sites must be honest and respectful. 2019 was the year it finally became socially unacceptable to use a historic plantation as a wedding venue. Its important the reality of what happened in these spaces is present, versus a romanticization of human rights abuses.. All of these places, despite their histories, are objectively beautiful. Belle Mont Mansion is located outside of Tuscumbia. The Alabama Historical Commission owns this historic site. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. Use the "Browse" or "Choose File" button below to select an image to upload along with your comment. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? 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. As of Thursday morning, Alabama Historical Commission members have not responded to the letter or AL.coms emails and phone calls. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! Indeed, it was brutal and terrifying. 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. 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. Belle Mont Mansion has resumed normal operating hours and will be operating at reduced capacity to safeguard against COVID-19. Slave child's doll inside Belle Mont Mansion. Belle Mont was erected in 1828 for a physician from Louisa County, Virginia, Dr. Alexander Williams Mitchell. 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. Belle Mont is available for special events. Off Campus Book Store University of North Alabama, Norton Auditorium University of North Alabama. Earlier this month, prodded by the group Color of Change, four wedding websites said they . Belle Mont, built between 1828 and 1832, was a plantation that used slave labor. Some visitors say that the building . 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. 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. Contextualizing former slave plantations has been a concern across the nation. Constructed in the 1820s, Belle Mont fell into ruin until the Alabama Historical Commission rescued it in the 1980s. It was one of those drizzly unpleasant days, so after a while I went into the Cellar area of the plantation. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. 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. 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. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. William F. Buckleys popularization of Eric Voegelins warning is apt: Dont immanentize the eschaton!. Plantation Christmas at Belle Mont is held annually the first Sunday in December and features period costumed interpreters, decorations, refreshments, and entertainment. Belle Meade plantation is one of the premier plantations in Tennessee and one of the top attractions in the state. 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 letter was also sent to Ninon Parker, who is listed as a site director for the Belle Mont Mansion. Surely, we do not want to pretend these places dont have a violent, racist past. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. Tickets may also be purchased by credit card by calling the museum at 256-381-5052 or online . In. 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. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. This was just word of mouth and may not have been accurate, but Im glad to hear it can be toured. Being new to the area, none of us knew of the Belmont Mansion or its location. In 1790, John Hipkins purchased the property from the Conway family and in 1791 built Belle Grove for his only child, Fannie. Belle Mont attracts approximately 5,000 visitors each year. Group rates available. The voices in the night are the hardest to explain away. You feel things passing by you. Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few . Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. At Belmont, several extended families lived in slavery over the course of several generations. Weddings should be a symbol of love and unity. This mansion is believed to have been influenced by Palladian style architecture for which Thomas Jefferson is known. 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 house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). Advertised as an event where people can experience the "hospitality of the Old South", "A Plantation Christmas" was held at the Belle Mont Mansion on Sunday evening. complete with original and period furniture, artwork and statuary. 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. "It is unacceptable to subject the descendants of enslaved African Americans to whitewashed versions of history that ignore their ancestors experience.". This style stems from the neoclassical architectural design of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. Please contact [email protected] for more information. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. Marble bust of Helen Keller. 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 remained in the Winston family for over a century, and is currently used as a historic house museum open for tours by appointment. Isaac Winston owned 114 slaves according to the 1860 census and died August 13, 1863 at Bell Mont during the American Civil War. Before you visit ANY local real haunt, make sure to acquire the appropriate permits and/or permissions, and be respectful of privately owned properties. General Martin retired to his Belle Mont plantation at Leatherwood, which he purchased in 1796 from Benjamin Harrison V of Berkeley Plantation. Wesley Thompson of Bethel Colbert Missionary Baptists Church also signed the letter. Belle Mont was built for Alexander Williams Mitchell, who grew up in Louisa County, Virginia, only 25 miles from Jefferson's home at Monticello. The antebellum plantation experience, as lived by the enslaved, was neither happy nor joyous. Be specific. I was born and raised in Tuscumbia. A tour of this Nashville plantation tells the story . Open Letter Plantation Christmas by Jonece on Scribd. 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. The celebration of a Plantation Christmas is racist, the letter reads. But fewer probably know that it . Belle Mont also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio," (Commission 2). Very little historic data, including census records, include last names of those who were enslaved, making it challenging to locate descendents through geneaology records. The letter was signed by social justice groups Project Say Something, Standing in Power, of Decatur, and Beyond the Women's March. All rights reserved (About Us). Your email address will not be published. Gift Shop (111 S. Main St., Tuscumbia). The answer will always be a mystery. 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. 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 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. Belle Mont Mansion is a historic house museum open for guided tours. Yes, its true that some historical artifacts across Americas landscape are honored in ways that belittle or demean our fellow countrymen. "Others feared the upcoming slave auctions commonly held in January and February in north Alabama as well as upcoming contracts for slave labor that was 'hired out.'". As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. It is best to play gospel or Christian radio in your house 24/7 to make them move on. 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. The coalition said the event celebrated white supremacy by ignoring the enslaved people who labored at the cotton plantation. 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. Your email address will not be published. Belle Mont Mansion is being restored and partially furnished to reflect the antebellum, or pre-Civil War, time period. I have lived here since 1963. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. The historic home is the site of the annual Art of the Dish this week. 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. 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 Knot, WeddingWire, and Pinterest are seeking to limit content on their websites that promotes Southern plantations as a wedding venue. 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. Her eyes, big as saucers, alarm me. Just one if many weird, cant explain it things that have happened here. Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation, Inc. is the support group in charge of operating the site. 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. The tell when I was growing up was that the book 13 Alabama Ghosts held a tell from that house. Blanket from Belle Mont Mansion. At the time, the name of the plantation was not Gay Mont, but Rose Hill. Things seem to be at their worst after midnight, until early dawn. 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. Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont. Now, thats poetic justice. The property is also available for tours Thursday through Sunday and for special event rentals. Is this place really haunted? All rights reserved. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. 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. The site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. Peace to everyone. Group of women standing outside Belle Mont Mansion. 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. 2023 The Federalist, A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media. It remained in the Winston family for over a century, and is currently used as a historic house museum open for tours by appointment. I have experienced some very strange things in my home. Small items like dimes and nails are moved. 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. Discover the largest house built in Tennessee prior to the Civil War. I mention this because Gay Mont was his home. Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. I have heard quiet voices in the night. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? 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. Protest movements that perceive victimization and microaggression under every rock also wreak havoc on our countrys economy. 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. Visitors to the mansion have reported seeing dark shadowy figures walking the fields and have heard the sound of chains rattling near the house. The designer is unknown but seems to have been influenced by Thomas Jefferson's ideas and style. Belle Mont Mansion , built circa 1828, is one of the few examples of Palladian-style houses in Alabama. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. This is not a good thing. Let us know! 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. 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. This 1860 census, also called a Slave Schedule, provides a limited picture of all who were living at Belmont and where they lived. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. Last edit to this listing: 1/16/2016 (2604 days ago). Visitors to this page: 3,182 Moreover, the entire. It was built in 1940 on some of the land near General John Coffees home. 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. 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. Related Videos Video #1 It once stretched over 5400 acres and hosted celebrities, presidents, and countless southern gentlemen. 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. Belle Mont Mansion has been listed under several names through its history. If such locales have tragic histories, this is all the more reason to reimagine them in ways that both recognize and overcome that past. 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 also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio,. The organization behind this growing movement, Color of Change, indicts vendors for using words like breathtaking to describe plantations. The Belle Mont Mansion was constructed from 1828-1832. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. 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. Over the years, this historic mansion has been restored to its original pre-Civil War appearance. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. 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. In 1833, the property was bought by Issac Williams, who owned 119 enslaved people by 1855. All rights reserved. I got chills then tried to write it off. What do you think? 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. Nearby, an early 1800s mansion, Belle Mont, is available for touring. 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. Went back into the cellar a coupple more times, but never had that akward feeling again. 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. Do not use all capital letters. The underlying premise of the anti-plantation movement is that Southern plantations cannot be romanticized. Although the original architect and builder remain unknown, the style of Belle Mont appears also to have been influenced by past. 2008-2023 AlabamaHauntedHouses.com. Even though it is now just 24 acres, many of the important elements remain. Then they could celebrate their wedding reception at a Southern manor and have a hell of a good time. Stay safe. 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. Four bedrooms surround the rear or south courtyard, forming its U-shaped brick exterior. However, the staff continues to research as we endeavor to tell the stories of all who lived at Belmont. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. Be happy. belle mont mansion slaves July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022. 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.