Weddings should be a symbol of love and unity. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. 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). Its also not as if Dixie estates were the only sites where acts of brutality were committed by one group of Americans against another. The Belle Mont Mansion was constructed from 1828-1832. And have seen shadows and once a figure of a person. At this time, the family decided to move to a different location but continued to hold Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in the mansion. Ken is a graphic designer, web developer and co-founder of One True Paranormal, a para-group in southwest Missouri. 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. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! Belle Mont also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio," (Commission 2). 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? Because of the tragedies that transpired therin, they powerfully communicate how far America has come. Many of them, even their detractors must admit, are beautiful, both in reference to their natural surroundings and their architecture. I have lived here since 1963. This 1860 census, also called a Slave Schedule, provides a limited picture of all who were living at Belmont and where they lived. I know someone who used to volunteer at Belle Mont, which is open for tours, and she said the house was definitely haunted by a woman, possibility a former mistress or daughter who once lived in the house. The other residents seem to tolerate it OK, but I hate it. Slave child's doll inside Belle Mont Mansion. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. 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. Following the death of his wife Alexander Mitchell remarried and sold the plantation to Isaac and Catherine Winston and moved to Philadelphia in 1833. === A monument was errected in 2008 on the old Henry Courthouse square in Martinsville, VA. . Affordable Nashville Elopements start here! You feel things passing by you. The celebration of a Plantation Christmas is racist, the letter reads. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. Chronological snobbery, as C.S. Four bedrooms surround the rear or south courtyard, forming its U-shaped brick exterior. Group of women standing outside Belle Mont Mansion. Founded in 2008, AlabamaHauntedHouses.com is a simple and unique online haunted event & attraction resource created to make it easy for locals to find Haunted House, Spook Walk, Corn Maze, and other Halloween Attractions in their local area. Belle Mont Mansion | Tuscumbia AL I dont know any ghost stories but my mother tells a few funny stories. Gradually, the family gatherings became less frequent until the home was completely abandoned. 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. Belle Mont also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio,. I mention this because Gay Mont was his home. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. This is not a good thing. The underlying premise of the anti-plantation movement is that Southern plantations cannot be romanticized. Admission: Adults $6; students, seniors, military $5; and children 6-18 $3. All information on this page was submitted to Alabama Haunted Houses and was believed to be accurate at the time it was posted. Would like to know if anyone does know anything about it and any info in accordance with that reference. 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. Be specific. I asked, Do you see him now? in a jested way as I awkwardly half-smile to my wife. 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. One account is from young William Acklin, a enslaved worker, and the other from a visitor to the estate. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. The house and surrounding property are reportedly haunted by the former slaves that lived and died on the plantation. Just one if many weird, cant explain it things that have happened here. Administrative use only. Very little historic data, including census records, include last names of those who were enslaved, making it challenging to locate descendents through geneaology records. 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. 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. 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. In each society and in each generation slaves adjusted and . 3. This style stems from the neoclassical architectural design of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. No haunted tours for me. Your CommentsHave a photograph taken from this location? Is it not appropriate to celebrate momentous occasions in beautiful places? 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. 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. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. The organization behind this growing movement, Color of Change, indicts vendors for using words like breathtaking to describe plantations. 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. All of these places, despite their histories, are objectively beautiful. It is best to play gospel or Christian radio in your house 24/7 to make them move on. 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. We went back there, and I finished the project, with help from all was involved. The Knot, WeddingWire, and Pinterest are seeking to limit content on their websites that promotes Southern plantations as a wedding venue. Disclaimer: Alabama Haunted Houses does not endorse or support trespassing to visit real haunts. 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. If such locales have tragic histories, this is all the more reason to reimagine them in ways that both recognize and overcome that past. It was the centerpiece of a 1,760 acre cotton plantation and had one of the largest slave populations in the state. It's estimated that 40 percent of slave owners may have been white women. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. These families included the Baker and Snowden families, among others. Yes, its true that some historical artifacts across Americas landscape are honored in ways that belittle or demean our fellow countrymen. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. 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. Things seem to be at their worst after midnight, until early dawn. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Share Your Experience or Comments - Belle Mont. Belle Meade plantation is one of the premier plantations in Tennessee and one of the top attractions in the state. 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. Voice your opinion here! Doors open and close. e prior to the Civil War. Its important the reality of what happened in these spaces is present, versus a romanticization of human rights abuses.. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. One was a bluish light, the other one looked golden. 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. 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. My wife, son (age 5) and I were heading from Muscle Shoals to our home in Littleville after a night of shopping and eating. The coalition said the event celebrated white supremacy by ignoring the enslaved people who labored at the cotton plantation. Do not use all capital letters. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? The groups who are critiquing the event in Tuscumbia believe historical sites must be honest and respectful. 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. 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). This would have been in the late 60s, early 70s I would guess. Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Visitors to the mansion have reported seeing dark shadowy figures walking the fields and have heard the sound of chains rattling near the house. Constructed in the 1820s, Belle Mont fell into ruin until the Alabama Historical Commission rescued it in the 1980s. Please contact nps.submissions@gmail.com for more information. Now, thats poetic justice. 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. 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. Ninon Parker puts candles out on the table fully set for dinner at Belle Mont Mansion in Colbert County. 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. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time. 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. If you have lived in a haunted house you will not find this fun. It's currently operated as a museum, and tours are available. 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. Off Campus Book Store University of North Alabama, Norton Auditorium University of North Alabama. Went back into the cellar a coupple more times, but never had that akward feeling again. According to census records, Mitchell enslaved 115 people at the cotton plantation. Blanket from Belle Mont Mansion. 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. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? 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 abandonment of the home was the largest cause of its deterioration and the vandalism that occurred at Belle Mont. For some reason a lot of places in Tuscumbia AL are haunted. 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. This was just word of mouth and may not have been accurate, but Im glad to hear it can be toured. Be happy. 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. 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. Its just really weird that we both saw this happen at the exact same time. 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 answer will always be a mystery. She said he would come out shooting if he caught trespassers. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! Discover the largest house built in Tennessee prior to the Civil War. Protest movements that perceive victimization and microaggression under every rock also wreak havoc on our countrys economy. All rights reserved (About Us). Haunted Vacations, Adventures and Mysteries. Your email address will not be published. An Alabama Historical Commission site, Belle Mont was built 1828-1832 and is one of the state's first great plantation houses. Let us know! 2019 was the year it finally became socially unacceptable to use a historic plantation as a wedding venue. You can visit the historic Belle Mont Mansion at 1569 Cook Ln., Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674. 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. 1569 Cook Lane, Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674 View Map CONTACT Site Director: Ninon Parker Museum: 256- 381-5052 Email: bellemontmansion@gmail.com Unlock premium content, ad-free browsing, and access to comments for just $4/month. 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. First, there is no such thing as a slave plantation. There are cotton plantations, sugar plantations, tobacco plantations, etc., etc., but no slave plantations. Heading south about to pass by the Belmont sign, and not having said a word in at least 15 Min, my son asks a question pointing precisely in the direction of the house, not visible in the daytime, let alone at pitch black night, Daddy, who is that man? to which I reply, What man? 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. Stories of the Past - Conversations for the Future. All rights reserved. The National Paranormal Society is not responsible for individuals, teams and submissions listed on the NPS website. 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. Last edit to this listing: 1/16/2016 (2604 days ago). 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 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. Being new to the area, none of us knew of the Belmont Mansion or its location. Montvale, the farm at Belmont, was destroyed in 1864. The historic home is the site of the annual Art of the Dish this week. Even though it is now just 24 acres, many of the important elements remain. Jones says her new title is one she holds . Located in the middle of the Belmont University campusbehind Freeman Hall. Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few . Belle Mont isnt included in either of Kathryn Tucker Windhams books about Alabama ghosts. Marble bust of Helen Keller. In. 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. Three years later, during the middle of the. 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. Casey Chalk is a senior contributor at The Federalist and an editor and columnist at The New Oxford Review. The site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. What county in Alabama had the most slaves? 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. Owned by the Alabama Historical Commission and operated by the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). It was one of those drizzly unpleasant days, so after a while I went into the Cellar area of the plantation. Belle Mont was erected in 1828 for a physician from Louisa County, Virginia, Dr. Alexander Williams Mitchell. Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. The antebellum plantation experience, as lived by the enslaved, was neither happy nor joyous. Contact the museum for current rates, policies, and an application. Blue Star Museum: Belle Mont proudly offers free admission to active duty military personnel and their families between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. 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. I got chills then tried to write it off. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Use the "Browse" or "Choose File" button below to select an image to upload along with your comment. We also dont need to police their repurposing. 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. Moreover, the entire. This design is derived from the neoclassical architectural style of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. 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. 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. Her eyes, big as saucers, alarm me. Affordable Nashville Elopements start here! "It is unacceptable to subject the descendants of enslaved African Americans to whitewashed versions of history that ignore their ancestors experience.". Belle Mont Mansion is a historic house museum open for guided tours. Gift Shop (111 S. Main St., Tuscumbia). Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Records of the property's destruction includes information related to the number of slave dwellings on the property. In 1790, John Hipkins purchased the property from the Conway family and in 1791 built Belle Grove for his only child, Fannie. General Martin retired to his Belle Mont plantation at Leatherwood, which he purchased in 1796 from Benjamin Harrison V of Berkeley Plantation. It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. It remained in the Winston family for over a century, and is currently used as a historic house museum open for tours by appointment. The house and surrounding property are reportedly haunted by the former slaves that lived and died on the plantation. Moreover, the entire country was once the land of American Indians, and a good deal of it deceptively or violently taken from them. 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. My great great great great grandfather used to live at the belle mont mansion ! As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. Indeed, it was brutal and terrifying. Required fields are marked *. Belle Mont Mansion has been listed under several names through its history. The Conway family purchased the property in 1670 and it remained in the family for 120 years. 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. Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont. 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. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. Positioned on a commanding hilltop, Belle Mont Mansion is one of Alabama's crowning architectural achievements. All submissions made to The National Paranormal Society, for the purposes of data analysis, article or editorial publication, team, individual or service listing, or any other submission category not listed become the property of the NPS. 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. 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. 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. Tickets are available at Belle Mont Mansion and at Fiddledee D! complete with original and period furniture, artwork and statuary. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. As of Thursday morning, Alabama Historical Commission members have not responded to the letter or AL.coms emails and phone calls. Tickets may also be purchased by credit card by calling the museum at 256-381-5052 or online . Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! Lewis called our tendency to view our own age as superior to others, is a dark chasm ending in our own destruction. Will NOT be displayed. Belle Mont's out-buildings are no longer standing, but several foundations, including that of a slave house, have been located by archeologists. 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. Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale. Belle Mont was built for Alexander Williams Mitchell, who grew up in Louisa County, Virginia, only 25 miles from Jefferson's home at Monticello. 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. 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. Indeed, I wonder how many black Americans even have a deceased grandparent who could have had a memory of antebellum America. 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.
Ace Of Wands Reversed Advice,
Rh Negative People,
Articles B