The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends. Then they could celebrate their wedding reception at a Southern manor and have a hell of a good time. He has a bachelors in history and masters in teaching from the University of Virginia and a masters in theology from Christendom College. 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, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. A tour of this Nashville plantation tells the story . I dont know any ghost stories but my mother tells a few funny stories. 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. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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. Protest movements that perceive victimization and microaggression under every rock also wreak havoc on our countrys economy. 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. complete with original and period furniture, artwork and statuary. Belle Mont's out-buildings are no longer standing, but several foundations, including that of a slave house, have been located by archeologists. 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. You feel things passing by you. Please contact nps.submissions@gmail.com for more information. 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. Its also not as if Dixie estates were the only sites where acts of brutality were committed by one group of Americans against another. I was born and raised in Tuscumbia. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. 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. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. Share Your Experience or Comments - Belle Mont. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. 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. It was built in 1940 on some of the land near General John Coffees home. Countless Haunt Hunters have been arrested, ticketed, and reprimanded by the authorities for trespassing. Affordable Nashville Elopements start here! 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? At this time, the family decided to move to a different location but continued to hold Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in the mansion. 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. No profanity. 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 site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. Her aunt, who was only a few years older than her, got busted sneaking in/vandalizing the mansion. What Todays Cultural Marxists Would Be Wise To Learn From Martin Luther King Jr. LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Shoals, Shoals Young Democrats and Rev. The designer is unknown but seems to have been influenced by Thomas Jefferson's ideas and style. We also dont need to police their repurposing. Just outside the city of Tuscumbia, the 700+ acre Cane Creek Canyon Nature . Belle Mont was built for Alexander Williams Mitchell, who grew up in Louisa County, Virginia, only 25 miles from Jefferson's home at Monticello. Open Letter Plantation Christmas by Jonece on Scribd. Related Videos Video #1 The Winston family maintained ownership and continued living in Belle Mont through the Civil War and until around 1940. The only way to avoid offending anyone would be to stop celebrating anything, anywhere, at any time. 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. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! The tell when I was growing up was that the book 13 Alabama Ghosts held a tell from that house. The other residents seem to tolerate it OK, but I hate it. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Let us know! The abandonment of the home was the largest cause of its deterioration and the vandalism that occurred at Belle Mont. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Yet self-righteous assaults on these places and the many ways they are used will not bring restorative justice. The antebellum plantation experience, as lived by the enslaved, was neither happy nor joyous. But she never mentioned any slave ghosts. 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. Blue Star Museum: Belle Mont proudly offers free admission to active duty military personnel and their families between Memorial Day and Labor Day. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. Belle Mont Mansion is located outside of Tuscumbia. 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. 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. Sign up for our newsletter and receive Halloween event updates, discounts and more! 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. The letter was also sent to Ninon Parker, who is listed as a site director for the Belle Mont Mansion. 2019 was the year it finally became socially unacceptable to use a historic plantation as a wedding venue. 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. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! Although the original architect and builder remain unknown, the style of Belle Mont appears also to have been influenced by past. 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). Belle Mont attracts approximately 5,000 visitors each year. The site originally served as the centerpiece for the large scale cotton. 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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. Sold by the Acklen family in 1887, the house went to a developer who began one of Nashvilles early suburbs. 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. Things seem to be at their worst after midnight, until early dawn. Belle Mont, built between 1828 and 1832, was a plantation that used slave labor. General Martin retired to his Belle Mont plantation at Leatherwood, which he purchased in 1796 from Benjamin Harrison V of Berkeley Plantation. 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. 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. The groups who are critiquing the event in Tuscumbia believe historical sites must be honest and respectful. At the time, the name of the plantation was not Gay Mont, but Rose Hill. Would like to know if anyone does know anything about it and any info in accordance with that reference. Belle Mont Mansion has resumed normal operating hours and will be operating at reduced capacity to safeguard against COVID-19. 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. 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. At Belmont, several extended families lived in slavery over the course of several generations. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. 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. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). The letter was signed by social justice groups Project Say Something, Standing in Power, of Decatur, and Beyond the Women's March. Moreover, the entire country was once the land of American Indians, and a good deal of it deceptively or violently taken from them. 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. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. Positioned on a commanding hilltop, Belle Mont Mansion is one of Alabama's crowning architectural achievements. Belle Mont also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio," (Commission 2). At first you think this is all in your imagination. Constructed in the 1820s, Belle Mont fell into ruin until the Alabama Historical Commission rescued it in the 1980s. 68 were here. n 1832. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time. === A monument was errected in 2008 on the old Henry Courthouse square in Martinsville, VA. . The National Paranormal Society is not responsible for individuals, teams and submissions listed on the NPS website. It is said to be haunted by slaves who died on the grounds and also by former owners. Three years later, during the middle of the. Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). Couple looking at a car in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. 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. Weddings should be a symbol of love and unity. 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. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. Before you visit ANY local real haunt, make sure to acquire the appropriate permits and/or permissions, and be respectful of privately owned properties. Visitors to this page: 3,182 The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. In 1833, the property was bought by Issac Williams, who owned 119 enslaved people by 1855. 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. Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. All rights reserved. Now, thats poetic justice. Belle Mont Mansion | Tuscumbia AL 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. He is the author of The Persecuted: True Stories of Courageous Christians Living Their Faith in Muslim Lands. The organization behind this growing movement, Color of Change, indicts vendors for using words like breathtaking to describe plantations. A majority of rooms in Belmont Mansion have been meticulously restored. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. This mansion is believed to have been influenced by Palladian style architecture for which Thomas Jefferson is known. 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. Catholics in the 19th century suffered violent assaults at the hands of anti-papist mobs on the streets of Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. 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. 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. 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. Because of the tragedies that transpired therin, they powerfully communicate how far America has come. I got chills then tried to write it off. In 1790, John Hipkins purchased the property from the Conway family and in 1791 built Belle Grove for his only child, Fannie. I asked, Do you see him now? in a jested way as I awkwardly half-smile to my wife. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont. Have a haunt/halloween related news story or a tip? It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. 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. Marble bust of Helen Keller. 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. Not-So-Scary Haunted Houses (Kid Friendly). The Miracle Worker organ. The Alabama Historical Commission owns this historic site. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. Belle Mont Mansion Tuscumbia, Alabama 65.4 miles from Tupelo, MS. 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. Belle Mont Mansion is a historic house museum open for guided tours. Then you maybe talk to family members and realize everyone feels the same way. It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. Even though it is now just 24 acres, many of the important elements remain. 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. For some reason a lot of places in Tuscumbia AL are haunted. And have seen shadows and once a figure of a person. 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. Simply by virtue of ones social justice warrior credentials and alleged victimhood status, these people deputize themselves the cultural police of our history, our language, and now apparently our wedding venues. 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. 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. 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." Blanket from Belle Mont Mansion. The historic home is the site of the annual Art of the Dish this week. 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. Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. 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. Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale. Be happy. Wesley Thompson of Bethel Colbert Missionary Baptists Church also signed the letter. The use of the NPS name for any unauthorized events or activities is strictly prohibited. While slavery is often associated with large plantations, the institution permeated Southern culture. 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 Plantation Christmas at Belle Mont is held annually the first Sunday in December and features period costumed interpreters, decorations, refreshments, and entertainment. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. Belle Mont Mansion , built circa 1828, is one of the few examples of Palladian-style houses in Alabama. Chronological snobbery, as C.S. It is best to play gospel or Christian radio in your house 24/7 to make them move on. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. You can visit the historic Belle Mont Mansion at 1569 Cook Ln., Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674. 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). Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? The schooner Clotilda smuggled African captives into the U.S. in 1860, more than 50 years after importing slaves was outlawed. Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@reckonmedia.com, hired a black historian to research the site's enslavement history, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. The Belle Mont Mansion was constructed from 1828-1832. My wife and I went to the mansion and learned of its peculiarities from the informative guide person. If such locales have tragic histories, this is all the more reason to reimagine them in ways that both recognize and overcome that past. Shes told me that prior to the restorations the mansion was a prime site for local teens to be dumb kids trespass, vandalize, etc. This 1860 census, also called a Slave Schedule, provides a limited picture of all who were living at Belmont and where they lived. 3. Use the "Browse" or "Choose File" button below to select an image to upload along with your comment. Its important the reality of what happened in these spaces is present, versus a romanticization of human rights abuses.. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 2008-2023 AlabamaHauntedHouses.com. In each society and in each generation slaves adjusted and . 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. Haunted Vacations, Adventures and Mysteries. Their appetites will not be satisfied until all things and persons associated with injustice, real or imagined, are expunged from public experience and memory. All information on this page was submitted to Alabama Haunted Houses and was believed to be accurate at the time it was posted. Tell Us About Your Experience(s) at Belle Mont. Moreover, the entire. 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. Visit BelmontMansionEvents.com to review options to Elope in Nashville at Belmont Mansion. You can imagine me trying to picture my great aunt doing this, haha! Surely, we do not want to pretend these places dont have a violent, racist past. What do you think? Admission: Adults $6; students, seniors, military $5; and children 6-18 $3. Being new to the area, none of us knew of the Belmont Mansion or its location.