While slavery is often associated with large plantations, the institution permeated Southern culture. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). Your CommentsHave a photograph taken from this location? If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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. Visitors to the mansion have reported seeing dark shadowy figures walking the fields and have heard the sound of chains rattling near the house. 2019 was the year it finally became socially unacceptable to use a historic plantation as a wedding venue. Because of the tragedies that transpired therin, they powerfully communicate how far America has come. Its important the reality of what happened in these spaces is present, versus a romanticization of human rights abuses.. Even though it is now just 24 acres, many of the important elements remain. === A monument was errected in 2008 on the old Henry Courthouse square in Martinsville, VA. . Just outside the city of Tuscumbia, the 700+ acre Cane Creek Canyon Nature . 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. The architecture of Belmont Mansion makes it one of the most significant homes of 19th century Tennessee. Three years later, during the middle of the. 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. Belle Mont Mansion is a historic house museum open for guided tours. Visitors to this page: 3,182 No profanity. All rights reserved. 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. At Belmont, several extended families lived in slavery over the course of several generations. 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. You can visit the historic Belle Mont Mansion at 1569 Cook Ln., Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674. It's estimated that 40 percent of slave owners may have been white women. Records of the property's destruction includes information related to the number of slave dwellings on the property. The site originally served as the centerpiece for the large scale cotton. 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. 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. Some visitors say that the building . She said he would come out shooting if he caught trespassers. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. We went back there, and I finished the project, with help from all was involved. The Conway family purchased the property in 1670 and it remained in the family for 120 years. 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. He has a bachelors in history and masters in teaching from the University of Virginia and a masters in theology from Christendom College. 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. Tickets are available at Belle Mont Mansion and at Fiddledee D! Belle Mont Mansion | Tuscumbia AL I got chills then tried to write it off. You feel things passing by you. Her eyes, big as saucers, alarm me. complete with original and period furniture, artwork and statuary. 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. This 1860 census, also called a Slave Schedule, provides a limited picture of all who were living at Belmont and where they lived. The house and surrounding property are reportedly haunted by the former slaves that lived and died on the plantation. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Shoals, Shoals Young Democrats and Rev. Multiple north Alabama organizations are demanding an apology after a Christmas event was held at a Colbert County plantation mansion where enslaved people once labored. Use the "Browse" or "Choose File" button below to select an image to upload along with your comment. Voice your opinion here! Indeed, it is the Christian character of America that has allowed us to recognize and seek to rectify our past errors. "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.'". 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. 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. Isaac Winston owned 114 slaves according to the 1860 census and died August 13, 1863 at Bell Mont during the American Civil War. Her aunt, who was only a few years older than her, got busted sneaking in/vandalizing the mansion. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. 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. What Todays Cultural Marxists Would Be Wise To Learn From Martin Luther King Jr. Its also not as if Dixie estates were the only sites where acts of brutality were committed by one group of Americans against another. Nearby, an early 1800s mansion, Belle Mont, is available for touring. I have lived here since 1963. 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. 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. Unlock premium content, ad-free browsing, and access to comments for just $4/month. Belle Mont was erected in 1828 for a physician from Louisa County, Virginia, Dr. Alexander Williams Mitchell. "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. That seems far more justified than puritannical policing of plantations. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. In each society and in each generation slaves adjusted and . Is this place really haunted? The letter was also sent to Ninon Parker, who is listed as a site director for the Belle Mont Mansion. Many of them, even their detractors must admit, are beautiful, both in reference to their natural surroundings and their architecture. Belle Meade plantation is one of the premier plantations in Tennessee and one of the top attractions in the state. 1569 Cook Lane, Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674 View Map CONTACT Site Director: Ninon Parker Museum: 256- 381-5052 Email: bellemontmansion@gmail.com Belle Mont's out-buildings are no longer standing, but several foundations, including that of a slave house, have been located by archeologists. This style stems from the neoclassical architectural design of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. You can imagine me trying to picture my great aunt doing this, haha! Very little historic data, including census records, include last names of those who were enslaved, making it challenging to locate descendents through geneaology records. 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. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! Happy haunting! 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. Yes, its true that some historical artifacts across Americas landscape are honored in ways that belittle or demean our fellow countrymen. 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. For more information, click here. 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? Use of the directory is at the discretion of the individual. As of Thursday morning, Alabama Historical Commission members have not responded to the letter or AL.coms emails and phone calls. The voices in the night are the hardest to explain away. Stay safe. The answer will always be a mystery. Shes told me that prior to the restorations the mansion was a prime site for local teens to be dumb kids trespass, vandalize, etc. Marble bust of Helen Keller. I asked, Do you see him now? in a jested way as I awkwardly half-smile to my wife. Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! Related Videos Video #1 Join now to unlock comments, browse ad-free, and access exclusive content from your favorite FDRLST writers. A tour of this Nashville plantation tells the story . 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. 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). 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. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. The use of the NPS name for any unauthorized events or activities is strictly prohibited. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time. The site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. Tickets may also be purchased by credit card by calling the museum at 256-381-5052 or online . 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. 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. This would have been in the late 60s, early 70s I would guess. Contextualizing former slave plantations has been a concern across the nation. Plantation Christmas at Belle Mont is held annually the first Sunday in December and features period costumed interpreters, decorations, refreshments, and entertainment. It was one of those drizzly unpleasant days, so after a while I went into the Cellar area of the plantation. Casey Chalk is a senior contributor at The Federalist and an editor and columnist at The New Oxford Review. Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Strange are there actually any African Americans who have memories of the antebellum period, given that it ended 160 years ago? My Dad bought it at that time. Moreover, the entire. I mention this because Gay Mont was his home. Blue Star Museum: Belle Mont proudly offers free admission to active duty military personnel and their families between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Off Campus Book Store University of North Alabama, Norton Auditorium University of North Alabama. It remained in the Winston family for over a century, and is currently used as a historic house museum open for tours by appointment. 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. Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale. 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. 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 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. Tell Us About Your Experience(s) at Belle Mont. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Visit BelmontMansionEvents.com to review options to Elope in Nashville at Belmont Mansion. Built between 1828 and 1832 in the Jeffersonian style, Belle Mont was originally the home of Dr. Alexander Mitchell, who quickly sold the building to one Isaac Winston in 1833. Positioned on a commanding hilltop, Belle Mont Mansion is one of Alabama's crowning architectural achievements. 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. Sold by the Acklen family in 1887, the house went to a developer who began one of Nashvilles early suburbs. The antebellum plantation experience, as lived by the enslaved, was neither happy nor joyous.

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