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. . The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. Off Campus Book Store University of North Alabama, Norton Auditorium University of North Alabama. 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. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. My wife and I went to the mansion and learned of its peculiarities from the informative guide person. Slaves in the plantation generations were members of what Berlin calls "slave societies," where slavery was the primary source of labor. Slave child's doll inside Belle Mont Mansion. The modern application of this practice is also redolent of any of those ancient heresies that are uncomfortable with the complicated reality that vice and virtue, spiritual and material, co-exist within the human experience. The historic home is the site of the annual Art of the Dish this week. The voices in the night are the hardest to explain away. If you have lived in a haunted house you will not find this fun. An Alabama Historical Commission site, Belle Mont was built 1828-1832 and is one of the state's first great plantation houses. Their appetites will not be satisfied until all things and persons associated with injustice, real or imagined, are expunged from public experience and memory. William F. Buckleys popularization of Eric Voegelins warning is apt: Dont immanentize the eschaton!. He says, the man that lives in that house. still pointing. What do you think? Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. 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. 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. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? 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. "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. First, there is no such thing as a slave plantation. There are cotton plantations, sugar plantations, tobacco plantations, etc., etc., but no slave plantations. The tell when I was growing up was that the book 13 Alabama Ghosts held a tell from that house. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? The answer will always be a mystery. In 1833, the property was bought by Issac Williams, who owned 119 enslaved people by 1855. Belle Mont Mansion is a historic house museum open for guided tours. . 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. It was built in 1940 on some of the land near General John Coffees home. The organization behind this growing movement, Color of Change, indicts vendors for using words like breathtaking to describe plantations. Before you visit ANY local real haunt, make sure to acquire the appropriate permits and/or permissions, and be respectful of privately owned properties. Located in the middle of the Belmont University campusbehind Freeman Hall. Constructed in the 1820s, Belle Mont fell into ruin until the Alabama Historical Commission rescued it in the 1980s. 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. My daughter and I have both heard clear voices that sound kind of far away, but you can understand them. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. For more information, click here. We went back there, and I finished the project, with help from all was involved. Three years later, during the middle of the. The groups who are critiquing the event in Tuscumbia believe historical sites must be honest and respectful. 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. My great great great great grandfather used to live at the belle mont mansion ! It's estimated that 40 percent of slave owners may have been white women. Catholics in the 19th century suffered violent assaults at the hands of anti-papist mobs on the streets of Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. 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. Although the original architect and builder remain unknown, the style of Belle Mont appears also to have been influenced by past. Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. It also reflects the vulnerability of American businesses to the whims of leftist protest movements. Being new to the area, none of us knew of the Belmont Mansion or its location. This was just word of mouth and may not have been accurate, but Im glad to hear it can be toured. 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. 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. Visit BelmontMansionEvents.com to review options to Elope in Nashville 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. 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. Affordable Nashville Elopements start here! 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 Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. 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. This would have been in the late 60s, early 70s I would guess. One account is from young William Acklin, a enslaved worker, and the other from a visitor to the estate. 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! Tickets may also be purchased by credit card by calling the museum at 256-381-5052 or online . 68 were here. The designer is unknown but seems to have been influenced by Thomas Jefferson's ideas and style. 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. LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Shoals, Shoals Young Democrats and Rev. Weddings should be a symbol of love and unity. Belle Mont, built between 1828 and 1832, was a plantation that used slave labor. 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. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. "It is unacceptable to subject the descendants of enslaved African Americans to whitewashed versions of history that ignore their ancestors experience.". Then they could celebrate their wedding reception at a Southern manor and have a hell of a good time. According to census records, Mitchell enslaved 115 people at the cotton plantation. Please contact nps.submissions@gmail.com for more information. Your email address will not be published. That seems far more justified than puritannical policing of plantations. Moreover, the entire country was once the land of American Indians, and a good deal of it deceptively or violently taken from them. 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. 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. 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. 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. e prior to the Civil War. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. The abandonment of the home was the largest cause of its deterioration and the vandalism that occurred at Belle Mont. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. Located in the heart of Nashville on the Belmont University Campus. Marble bust of Helen Keller. Sold by the Acklen family in 1887, the house went to a developer who began one of Nashvilles early suburbs. Just one if many weird, cant explain it things that have happened here. For some reason a lot of places in Tuscumbia AL are haunted. General Martin retired to his Belle Mont plantation at Leatherwood, which he purchased in 1796 from Benjamin Harrison V of Berkeley Plantation. Have a haunt/halloween related news story or a tip? Blanket from Belle Mont Mansion. Its two-story north entrance salon is flanked on either side by a formal dining room and parlor. The use of the NPS name for any unauthorized events or activities is strictly prohibited. Earlier this month, prodded by the group Color of Change, four wedding websites said they . 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. It once stretched over 5400 acres and hosted celebrities, presidents, and countless southern gentlemen. Is it not appropriate to celebrate momentous occasions in beautiful places? Required fields are marked *. It is best to play gospel or Christian radio in your house 24/7 to make them move on. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. Use the "Browse" or "Choose File" button below to select an image to upload along with your comment. 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. Haunted Vacations, Adventures and Mysteries. 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. 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? Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. We also dont need to police their repurposing. 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. 1569 Cook Lane, Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674 View Map CONTACT Site Director: Ninon Parker Museum: 256- 381-5052 Email: bellemontmansion@gmail.com Group rates available. Be happy. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. 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. My Dad bought it at that time. The home was built. Moreover, the entire. 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. 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. You can imagine me trying to picture my great aunt doing this, haha! It remained in the Winston family for over a century, and is currently used as a historic house museum open for tours by appointment. At Belmont, several extended families lived in slavery over the course of several generations. 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. 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. At this time, the family decided to move to a different location but continued to hold Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in the mansion. Now, thats poetic justice. Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation, Inc. is the support group in charge of operating the site. Last edit to this listing: 1/16/2016 (2604 days ago). 2019 was the year it finally became socially unacceptable to use a historic plantation as a wedding venue. Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. The only way to avoid offending anyone would be to stop celebrating anything, anywhere, at any time. Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Went back into the cellar a coupple more times, but never had that akward feeling again. 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. Affordable Nashville Elopements start here! 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. Belle Mont Mansion , built circa 1828, is one of the few examples of Palladian-style houses in Alabama. Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale. But fewer probably know that it . 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. In addition, volunteers from the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation assist as docents for special events and participate in fund-raising activities. The antebellum plantation experience, as lived by the enslaved, was neither happy nor joyous. A tour of this Nashville plantation tells the story . "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. In each society and in each generation slaves adjusted and . Nor do the sins of our forefathers nullify their many acts of virtue or the great political and cultural gifts they bestowed upon future generations. 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. 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. Strange are there actually any African Americans who have memories of the antebellum period, given that it ended 160 years ago? Peace to everyone. In 1790, John Hipkins purchased the property from the Conway family and in 1791 built Belle Grove for his only child, Fannie. I have lived here since 1963. Couple looking at a car in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Belle Mont Mansion is located outside of Tuscumbia. Ninon Parker puts candles out on the table fully set for dinner at Belle Mont Mansion in Colbert County. It was the centerpiece of a 1,760 acre cotton plantation and had one of the largest slave populations in the state. Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few . While slavery is often associated with large plantations, the institution permeated Southern culture. Indeed, I wonder how many black Americans even have a deceased grandparent who could have had a memory of antebellum America. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time. Things seem to be at their worst after midnight, until early dawn. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Belle Mont Mansion has resumed normal operating hours and will be operating at reduced capacity to safeguard against COVID-19. Following the death of his wife Alexander Mitchell remarried and sold the plantation to Isaac and Catherine Winston and moved to Philadelphia in 1833. 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. 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. Nearby, an early 1800s mansion, Belle Mont, is available for touring. The site originally served as the centerpiece for the large scale cotton. Owned by the Alabama Historical Commission and operated by the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation. The site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. 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? Very little historic data, including census records, include last names of those who were enslaved, making it challenging to locate descendents through geneaology records. All rights reserved. Join now to unlock comments, browse ad-free, and access exclusive content from your favorite FDRLST writers. As of Thursday morning, Alabama Historical Commission members have not responded to the letter or AL.coms emails and phone calls. Stories of the Past - Conversations for the Future. 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. All information on this page was submitted to Alabama Haunted Houses and was believed to be accurate at the time it was posted. Jones says her new title is one she holds . Is this place really haunted? 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. 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. 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. Some visitors say that the building . Group of women standing outside Belle Mont Mansion. Many of them, even their detractors must admit, are beautiful, both in reference to their natural surroundings and their architecture. In. 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. 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. Beyond Jesus Revolution: 10 Outside-The-Box Faith-Based Films On The Horizon, Major Doctors Organization Publicly Embraces Dismembering Babies Until Birth, Congress Quietly Left The Door Open To Funneling More Tax Dollars To EcoHealth Research In China For National Security, Utah Considers Ranked-Choice Voting In Primaries Despite Disasters In Alaska And Maine. View all AHC Owned Historic Houses & Museums. Wesley Thompson of Bethel Colbert Missionary Baptists Church also signed the letter. 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. Voice your opinion here! The celebration of a Plantation Christmas is racist, the letter reads. No haunted tours for me. Gift Shop (111 S. Main St., Tuscumbia). Plantations used for bourgeois ceremonies with language that obscures or even glorifies the estates dark past are one example. But she never mentioned any slave ghosts. And have seen shadows and once a figure of a person. The house and surrounding property are reportedly haunted by the former slaves that lived and died on the plantation. I remember her sounding really flippant about it and me wondering how being shot at was not a big deal! Belle Mont Mansion is being restored and partially furnished to reflect the antebellum, or pre-Civil War, time period. Positioned on a commanding hilltop, Belle Mont Mansion is one of Alabama's crowning architectural achievements. 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." The letter was signed by social justice groups Project Say Something, Standing in Power, of Decatur, and Beyond the Women's March. Will NOT be displayed. Share Your Experience or Comments - Belle Mont. 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. 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? It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. The Alabama Historical Commission owns this historic site. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! All of these places, despite their histories, are objectively beautiful. This design is derived from the neoclassical architectural style of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. Tickets are available at Belle Mont Mansion and at Fiddledee D! The architecture of Belmont Mansion makes it one of the most significant homes of 19th century Tennessee. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). 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. 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. However, the staff continues to research as we endeavor to tell the stories of all who lived at Belmont. This 1860 census, also called a Slave Schedule, provides a limited picture of all who were living at Belmont and where they lived. 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. 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. Gradually, the family gatherings became less frequent until the home was completely abandoned. The property is also available for tours Thursday through Sunday and for special event rentals. Surely, we do not want to pretend these places dont have a violent, racist past. 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. The underlying premise of the anti-plantation movement is that Southern plantations cannot be romanticized. The Conway family purchased the property in 1670 and it remained in the family for 120 years. I grew up in Florence and my Great Grandmother lived near the mansion on Colbert Heights mountain. Protest movements that perceive victimization and microaggression under every rock also wreak havoc on our countrys economy. These families included the Baker and Snowden families, among others. Doors open and close. Then you maybe talk to family members and realize everyone feels the same way. ?????? Belle Mont also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio," (Commission 2). "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.'". Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? Belle Mont's out-buildings are no longer standing, but several foundations, including that of a slave house, have been located by archeologists. 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. My wife, son (age 5) and I were heading from Muscle Shoals to our home in Littleville after a night of shopping and eating. 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.
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