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. The site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. 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? One account is from young William Acklin, a enslaved worker, and the other from a visitor to the estate. 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). 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. 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 letter was also sent to Ninon Parker, who is listed as a site director for the Belle Mont Mansion. 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. 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? All rights reserved. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. Things seem to be at their worst after midnight, until early dawn. It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. Belle Mont Mansion has resumed normal operating hours and will be operating at reduced capacity to safeguard against COVID-19. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont, Discover the largest house built in Tennesse. Happy haunting! 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. Be specific. 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. Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Small items like dimes and nails are moved. All rights reserved. My daughter and I have both heard clear voices that sound kind of far away, but you can understand them. This 1860 census, also called a Slave Schedule, provides a limited picture of all who were living at Belmont and where they lived. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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 was a bluish light, the other one looked golden. 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. 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. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. For some reason a lot of places in Tuscumbia AL are haunted. The answer will always be a mystery. You can imagine me trying to picture my great aunt doing this, haha! Will NOT be displayed. Then you maybe talk to family members and realize everyone feels the same way. 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. The only way to avoid offending anyone would be to stop celebrating anything, anywhere, at any time. Doors open and close. Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! Strange are there actually any African Americans who have memories of the antebellum period, given that it ended 160 years ago? As of Thursday morning, Alabama Historical Commission members have not responded to the letter or AL.coms emails and phone calls. Catholics in the 19th century suffered violent assaults at the hands of anti-papist mobs on the streets of Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. 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. It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. 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. 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. Administrative use only. The home was built. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. 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! Unlock premium content, ad-free browsing, and access to comments for just $4/month. 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. 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. We went back there, and I finished the project, with help from all was involved. Many of them, even their detractors must admit, are beautiful, both in reference to their natural surroundings and their architecture. Let us know! This celebration clearly ignores the perspective of those who experienced Belle Mont as a forced labor camp., Slavery hard to teach in Cotton State of Alabama, elementary educators say. 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. The groups who are critiquing the event in Tuscumbia believe historical sites must be honest and respectful. She said he would come out shooting if he caught trespassers. We have located just two first-hand accounts of slavery at Belmont. It once stretched over 5400 acres and hosted celebrities, presidents, and countless southern gentlemen. Jones says her new title is one she holds . Ken is a graphic designer, web developer and co-founder of One True Paranormal, a para-group in southwest Missouri. A majority of rooms in Belmont Mansion have been meticulously restored. 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. Because of the tragedies that transpired therin, they powerfully communicate how far America has come. Some visitors say that the building . For more information, click here. Belle Mont attracts approximately 5,000 visitors each year. First, there is no such thing as a slave plantation. There are cotton plantations, sugar plantations, tobacco plantations, etc., etc., but no slave plantations. 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. Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont. What county in Alabama had the most slaves? Blanket from Belle Mont Mansion. He has a bachelors in history and masters in teaching from the University of Virginia and a masters in theology from Christendom College. 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 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. 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. In each society and in each generation slaves adjusted and . 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. 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. 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. In addition, volunteers from the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation assist as docents for special events and participate in fund-raising activities. Contextualizing former slave plantations has been a concern across the nation. Officials from multiple wedding-planning websites recently announced they are either no longer advertising plantation wedding venues or making those venues harder to find on their websites. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. My wife, son (age 5) and I were heading from Muscle Shoals to our home in Littleville after a night of shopping and eating. You feel things passing by you. 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. 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. Belle Mont is available for special events. Open Letter Plantation Christmas by Jonece on Scribd. Contact the museum for current rates, policies, and an application. 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. The Miracle Worker organ. Your CommentsHave a photograph taken from this location? Stories of the Past - Conversations for the Future. 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. Belle Mont Mansion | Tuscumbia AL Related Videos Video #1 I got chills then tried to write it off. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. Constructed in the 1820s, Belle Mont fell into ruin until the Alabama Historical Commission rescued it in the 1980s. The antebellum plantation experience, as lived by the enslaved, was neither happy nor joyous. 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. Indeed, it is the Christian character of America that has allowed us to recognize and seek to rectify our past errors. But fewer probably know that it . But she never mentioned any slave ghosts. 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. 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. Its two-story north entrance salon is flanked on either side by a formal dining room and parlor. He says, the man that lives in that house. still pointing. Is this place really haunted? Visitors to the mansion have reported seeing dark shadowy figures walking the fields and have heard the sound of chains rattling near the house. The architecture of Belmont Mansion makes it one of the most significant homes of 19th century Tennessee. 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. Their appetites will not be satisfied until all things and persons associated with injustice, real or imagined, are expunged from public experience and memory. I have experienced some very strange things in my home. View all AHC Owned Historic Houses & Museums. The schooner Clotilda smuggled African captives into the U.S. in 1860, more than 50 years after importing slaves was outlawed. The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! The site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. Moreover, the entire. Lewis called our tendency to view our own age as superior to others, is a dark chasm ending in our own destruction. Belle Mont also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio,. This would have been in the late 60s, early 70s I would guess. The organization behind this growing movement, Color of Change, indicts vendors for using words like breathtaking to describe plantations. Belle Mont Mansion is being restored and partially furnished to reflect the antebellum, or pre-Civil War, time period. If you have lived in a haunted house you will not find this fun. 3. 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. According to the letter, Christmas was a disturbing time for the enslaved. 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. 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. Surely, we do not want to pretend these places dont have a violent, racist past. 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. Use the "Browse" or "Choose File" button below to select an image to upload along with your comment. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! 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. The coalition said the event celebrated white supremacy by ignoring the enslaved people who labored at the cotton plantation. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. This is not a good thing. Over the years, this historic mansion has been restored to its original pre-Civil War appearance. Belle Mont isnt included in either of Kathryn Tucker Windhams books about Alabama ghosts. "It is unacceptable to subject the descendants of enslaved African Americans to whitewashed versions of history that ignore their ancestors experience.". . Please report any inaccuracies. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). 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. Located in the middle of the Belmont University campusbehind Freeman Hall. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. Slave child's doll inside Belle Mont Mansion. 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. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. 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. Would like to know if anyone does know anything about it and any info in accordance with that reference. A tour of this Nashville plantation tells the story . I have lived here since 1963. 2008-2023 AlabamaHauntedHouses.com. The Winston family maintained ownership and continued living in Belle Mont through the Civil War and until around 1940. Belle Meade plantation is one of the premier plantations in Tennessee and one of the top attractions in the state. It is best to play gospel or Christian radio in your house 24/7 to make them move on. I mention this because Gay Mont was his home. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Her aunt, who was only a few years older than her, got busted sneaking in/vandalizing the mansion. Is it not appropriate to celebrate momentous occasions in beautiful places? It's estimated that 40 percent of slave owners may have been white women. Visitors to this page: 3,182 That seems far more justified than puritannical policing of plantations. My wife and I went to the mansion and learned of its peculiarities from the informative guide person. No haunted tours for me. It is said to be haunted by slaves who died on the grounds and also by former owners. Be happy. 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. Sign up for our newsletter and receive Halloween event updates, discounts and more! Peace to everyone. You can visit the historic Belle Mont Mansion at 1569 Cook Ln., Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. It was one of those drizzly unpleasant days, so after a while I went into the Cellar area of the plantation. All rights reserved (About Us). Yet self-righteous assaults on these places and the many ways they are used will not bring restorative justice. If such locales have tragic histories, this is all the more reason to reimagine them in ways that both recognize and overcome that past. Although the original architect and builder remain unknown, the style of Belle Mont appears also to have been influenced by past. 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. 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. 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. Belle Mont was erected in 1828 for a physician from Louisa County, Virginia, Dr. Alexander Williams Mitchell. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. 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). At first you think this is all in your imagination. Haunted Vacations, Adventures and Mysteries. The National Paranormal Society is not responsible for individuals, teams and submissions listed on the NPS website. The underlying premise of the anti-plantation movement is that Southern plantations cannot be romanticized. Before you visit ANY local real haunt, make sure to acquire the appropriate permits and/or permissions, and be respectful of privately owned properties. 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? Belle Mont was erected in 1828 for a physician from Louisa County, Virginia, Dr. Alexander Williams Mitchell. Sold by the Acklen family in 1887, the house went to a developer who began one of Nashvilles early suburbs. At this time, the family decided to move to a different location but continued to hold Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in the mansion. Please contact nps.submissions@gmail.com for more information. 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. And in the process, these attacks have unintended economic consequences on working-class Americans. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. 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. The celebration of a Plantation Christmas is racist, the letter reads. 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. Use of the directory is at the discretion of the individual. LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Shoals, Shoals Young Democrats and Rev. Tickets may also be purchased by credit card by calling the museum at 256-381-5052 or online . 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. The property is also available for tours Thursday through Sunday and for special event rentals. belle mont mansion slaves July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022. I dont know any ghost stories but my mother tells a few funny stories. 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. Protest movements that perceive victimization and microaggression under every rock also wreak havoc on our countrys economy. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. 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. Indeed, I wonder how many black Americans even have a deceased grandparent who could have had a memory of antebellum America. The site originally served as the centerpiece for the large scale cotton. Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few . ?????? This style stems from the neoclassical architectural design of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. Belle Mont Mansion , built circa 1828, is one of the few examples of Palladian-style houses in Alabama. 1569 Cook Lane, Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674 View Map CONTACT Site Director: Ninon Parker Museum: 256- 381-5052 Email: bellemontmansion@gmail.com Belle Mont Mansion is a historic house museum open for guided tours. === A monument was errected in 2008 on the old Henry Courthouse square in Martinsville, VA. . Isaac Winston owned 114 slaves according to the 1860 census and died August 13, 1863 at Bell Mont during the American Civil War. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. Weddings should be a symbol of love and unity. Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale. Visit BelmontMansionEvents.com to review options to Elope in Nashville at Belmont Mansion. The house and surrounding property are reportedly haunted by the former slaves that lived and died on the plantation. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Admission: Adults $6; students, seniors, military $5; and children 6-18 $3. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. These families included the Baker and Snowden families, among others. Join now to unlock comments, browse ad-free, and access exclusive content from your favorite FDRLST writers. Magnificently sited on a commanding hilltop, Belle Mont is one of early Alabama's crowning architectural achievements.. Mitchell became known as one of the largest planters in the area before he quickly sold the mansion and the surrounding land one year after its completion. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. A Pinterest representative, for example, announced that the website is working on de-indexing Google searches for plantation wedding. In December, a coalition of Alabama activists protested a Plantation Christmas event held at the Belle Mont Mansion near Tuscumbia, Alabama, because it memorialized white supremacist celebrations of Christmas. Blue Star Museum: Belle Mont proudly offers free admission to active duty military personnel and their families between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The Alabama Historical Commission owns this historic site. What do you think? 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. Marble bust of Helen Keller. Belle Mont, built between 1828 and 1832, was a plantation that used slave labor.