Belle Mont Mansion is a historic house museum open for guided tours. 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. Voice your opinion here! Belle Mont, built between 1828 and 1832, was a plantation that used slave labor. 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. Belle Mont Mansion | Tuscumbia AL - Facebook The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. 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? Chronological snobbery, as C.S. Its two-story north entrance salon is flanked on either side by a formal dining room and parlor. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? 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. Last edit to this listing: 1/16/2016 (2604 days ago). 3. Would like to know if anyone does know anything about it and any info in accordance with that reference. Plantations used for bourgeois ceremonies with language that obscures or even glorifies the estates dark past are one example. The celebration of a Plantation Christmas is racist, the letter reads. 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. Belle Mont Mansion , built circa 1828, is one of the few examples of Palladian-style houses in Alabama. Belle Meade plantation is one of the premier plantations in Tennessee and one of the top attractions in the state. At the time, the name of the plantation was not Gay Mont, but Rose Hill. 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. Shes told me that prior to the restorations the mansion was a prime site for local teens to be dumb kids trespass, vandalize, etc. Plantation Christmas at Belle Mont is held annually the first Sunday in December and features period costumed interpreters, decorations, refreshments, and entertainment. Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@reckonmedia.com, hired a black historian to research the site's enslavement history, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. I grew up in Florence and my Great Grandmother lived near the mansion on Colbert Heights mountain. 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 Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. And have seen shadows and once a figure of a person. Just one if many weird, cant explain it things that have happened here. 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's out-buildings are no longer standing, but several foundations, including that of a slave house, have been located by archeologists. But she never mentioned any slave ghosts. List of plantations in Virginia - Wikipedia 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. Open Letter Plantation Christmas by Jonece on Scribd. 2008-2023 AlabamaHauntedHouses.com. 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. 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. Its just really weird that we both saw this happen at the exact same time. Plantation Home Tours in Alabama | Getaway USA - The Arizona Republic 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. Contact the museum for current rates, policies, and an application. 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. How Did Slaves Get To Alabama? - CLJ 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. I have experienced some very strange things in my home. "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.'". Let us know! BG Joseph Lynch Martin Jr. (1740-1808) - Find a Grave Memorial 1569 Cook Lane, Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674 View Map CONTACT Site Director: Ninon Parker Museum: 256- 381-5052 Email: bellemontmansion@gmail.com Visitors to the mansion have reported seeing dark shadowy figures walking the fields and have heard the sound of chains rattling near the house. Owned by the Alabama Historical Commission and operated by the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation. Indeed, I wonder how many black Americans even have a deceased grandparent who could have had a memory of antebellum America. According to census records, Mitchell enslaved 115 people at the cotton plantation. 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. 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. Your email address will not be published. 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 letter was also sent to Ninon Parker, who is listed as a site director for 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? Your email address will not be published. Is this place really haunted? 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. 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. Affordable Nashville Elopements start here! 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. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! This design is derived from the neoclassical architectural style of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. Indeed, it is the Christian character of America that has allowed us to recognize and seek to rectify our past errors. 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. The Massive, Overlooked Role of Female Slave Owners Belle Mont also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio,. LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Shoals, Shoals Young Democrats and Rev. "It is unacceptable to subject the descendants of enslaved African Americans to whitewashed versions of history that ignore their ancestors experience.". 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. Related Videos Video #1 A graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, he was a physician, planter, and an early elected official of Franklin (present-day Colbert) County, where he settled around 1820. The coalition said the event celebrated white supremacy by ignoring the enslaved people who labored at the cotton plantation. The answer will always be a mystery. 2023 The Federalist, A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media. Moreover, the entire. The historic home is the site of the annual Art of the Dish this week. Following the death of his wife Alexander Mitchell remarried and sold the plantation to Isaac and Catherine Winston and moved to Philadelphia in 1833. Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville TN: Horses, History, Wine However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. Sign up for our newsletter and receive Halloween event updates, discounts and more! The Miracle Worker organ. Strange are there actually any African Americans who have memories of the antebellum period, given that it ended 160 years ago? The Knot, WeddingWire, and Pinterest are seeking to limit content on their websites that promotes Southern plantations as a wedding venue. The other residents seem to tolerate it OK, but I hate it. Nanyehi was among the first Cherokee to own African-American slaves. Required fields are marked *. Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale. Ninon Parker puts candles out on the table fully set for dinner at Belle Mont Mansion in Colbert County. One day toward the end of the project, My friend Ronnie and I went down to remove what was left from an old tree my Dad had cut down the day before and other light work. The answer will always be a mystery. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! Protest movements that perceive victimization and microaggression under every rock also wreak havoc on our countrys economy. Art of the Dish at Belle Mont | This Week | courierjournal.net Sold by the Acklen family in 1887, the house went to a developer who began one of Nashvilles early suburbs. 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. Belle Mont Mansion is being restored and partially furnished to reflect the antebellum, or pre-Civil War, time period. Four bedrooms surround the rear or south courtyard, forming its U-shaped brick exterior. The Alabama Historical Commission owns this historic site. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. 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. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). What Todays Cultural Marxists Would Be Wise To Learn From Martin Luther King Jr. Located in the middle of the Belmont University campusbehind Freeman Hall. Plantation Christmas event near Tuscumbia 'racist', groups say Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Tell Us About Your Experience(s) at Belle Mont. At first you think this is all in your imagination. Haunted Vacations, Adventures and Mysteries. She said he would come out shooting if he caught trespassers. Stories of the Past - Conversations for the Future. Blue Star Museum: Belle Mont proudly offers free admission to active duty military personnel and their families between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The organization behind this growing movement, Color of Change, indicts vendors for using words like breathtaking to describe plantations. Belle mont mansion slaves - yjgp.hendrik-aus-e.de All of these places, despite their histories, are objectively beautiful. We have located just two first-hand accounts of slavery at Belmont. 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. Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont, Discover the largest house built in Tennesse. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. 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. 379 Tuscumbia Alabama Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images We went back there, and I finished the project, with help from all was involved. The groups who are critiquing the event in Tuscumbia believe historical sites must be honest and respectful. 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. The property is also available for tours Thursday through Sunday and for special event rentals. Emerging Civil War Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. Now, thats poetic justice. It was built in 1940 on some of the land near General John Coffees home. Belle Mont isnt included in either of Kathryn Tucker Windhams books about Alabama ghosts. 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. Although the original architect and builder remain unknown, the style of Belle Mont appears also to have been influenced by past. Contextualizing former slave plantations has been a concern across the nation. 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. At this time, the family decided to move to a different location but continued to hold Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in the mansion. 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.
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