We went back there, and I finished the project, with help from all was involved. And in the process, these attacks have unintended economic consequences on working-class Americans. Indeed, it was brutal and terrifying. All rights reserved (About Us). Would like to know if anyone does know anything about it and any info in accordance with that reference. Voice your opinion here! The Alabama Historical Commission owns this historic site. I asked, Do you see him now? in a jested way as I awkwardly half-smile to my wife. Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. "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.'". 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 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. Its just really weird that we both saw this happen at the exact same 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. The letter was also sent to Ninon Parker, who is listed as a site director for the Belle Mont Mansion. I got chills then tried to write it off. e prior to the Civil War. Your email address will not be published. This would have been in the late 60s, early 70s I would guess. 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 Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. The abandonment of the home was the largest cause of its deterioration and the vandalism that occurred at Belle Mont. Chronological snobbery, as C.S. She was caught due to a news story that came out in the local paper about the travesties of vandalism happening to the historic landmark by local youth. If such locales have tragic histories, this is all the more reason to reimagine them in ways that both recognize and overcome that past. 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! Belle Mont - Alabama 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. Before you visit ANY local real haunt, make sure to acquire the appropriate permits and/or permissions, and be respectful of privately owned properties. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. 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. My wife and I went to the mansion and learned of its peculiarities from the informative guide person. One account is from young William Acklin, a enslaved worker, and the other from a visitor to the estate. 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. Records of the property's destruction includes information related to the number of slave dwellings on the property. Visit BelmontMansionEvents.com to review options to Elope in Nashville at Belmont Mansion. 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). Yet self-righteous assaults on these places and the many ways they are used will not bring restorative justice. Her aunt, who was only a few years older than her, got busted sneaking in/vandalizing the mansion. Slaves in the plantation generations were members of what Berlin calls "slave societies," where slavery was the primary source of labor. No haunted tours for me. Belle Mont Mansion is a historic house museum open for guided tours. 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? Very little historic data, including census records, include last names of those who were enslaved, making it challenging to locate descendents through geneaology records. The house and surrounding property are reportedly haunted by the former slaves that lived and died on the plantation. In each society and in each generation slaves adjusted and . Visitors to this page: 3,182 YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Its two-story north entrance salon is flanked on either side by a formal dining room and parlor. Following the death of his wife Alexander Mitchell remarried and sold the plantation to Isaac and Catherine Winston and moved to Philadelphia in 1833. Haunted Vacations, Adventures and Mysteries. The schooner Clotilda smuggled African captives into the U.S. in 1860, more than 50 years after importing slaves was outlawed. History - Belle Mont Mansion 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). Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! Belle Meade plantation takes a deeper look into the lives of its slaves Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. 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. Not-So-Scary Haunted Houses (Kid Friendly). Belle Mont, built between 1828 and 1832, was a plantation that used slave labor. The Winston family maintained ownership and continued living in Belle Mont through the Civil War and until around 1940. Slave child's doll inside Belle Mont Mansion. Haunted Places in Tupelo, Mississippi 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? 3. According to the letter, Christmas was a disturbing time for the enslaved. If People Can't Get Married On Plantations, They Can't Marry Anywhere 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 Belle Mont Mansion is being restored and partially furnished to reflect the antebellum, or pre-Civil War, time period. 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. 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. Belle Mont isnt included in either of Kathryn Tucker Windhams books about Alabama ghosts. The best-known ghost tale from each Alabama county - al.com "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. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? It was one of those drizzly unpleasant days, so after a while I went into the Cellar area of the plantation. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). Then they could celebrate their wedding reception at a Southern manor and have a hell of a good time. Many of them, even their detractors must admit, are beautiful, both in reference to their natural surroundings and their architecture. 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. Constructed in the 1820s, Belle Mont fell into ruin until the Alabama Historical Commission rescued it in the 1980s. Last edit to this listing: 1/16/2016 (2604 days ago). Catholics in the 19th century suffered violent assaults at the hands of anti-papist mobs on the streets of Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. While slavery is often associated with large plantations, the institution permeated Southern culture. Have a haunt/halloween related news story or a tip? Located in the middle of the Belmont University campusbehind Freeman Hall. Clicks to Website: 293 Located in the heart of Nashville on the Belmont University Campus. I was born and raised in Tuscumbia. Belle Mont Mansion , built circa 1828, is one of the few examples of Palladian-style houses in Alabama. Plantations used for bourgeois ceremonies with language that obscures or even glorifies the estates dark past are one example. I mention this because Gay Mont was his home. Let us know! Stories of the Past - Conversations for the Future. Open Letter Plantation Christmas by Jonece on Scribd. Happy haunting! Join now to unlock comments, browse ad-free, and access exclusive content from your favorite FDRLST writers. Art of the Dish at Belle Mont | This Week | courierjournal.net 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. Sold by the Acklen family in 1887, the house went to a developer who began one of Nashvilles early suburbs. Belle Meade plantation is one of the premier plantations in Tennessee and one of the top attractions in the state. Related Videos Video #1 Belle mont mansion slaves - yjgp.hendrik-aus-e.de It was built in 1940 on some of the land near General John Coffees home. 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. Its important the reality of what happened in these spaces is present, versus a romanticization of human rights abuses.. For some reason a lot of places in Tuscumbia AL are haunted. 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. My wife, son (age 5) and I were heading from Muscle Shoals to our home in Littleville after a night of shopping and eating. Belle Mont Mansion | Tuscumbia AL 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. It was the centerpiece of a 1,760 acre cotton plantation and had one of the largest slave populations in the state. Plantation Home Tours in Alabama | Getaway USA - The Arizona Republic 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. Nearby, an early 1800s mansion, Belle Mont, is available for touring. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time. Even though it is now just 24 acres, many of the important elements remain. Gradually, the family gatherings became less frequent until the home was completely abandoned. What county in Alabama had the most slaves? Isaac Winston owned 114 slaves according to the 1860 census and died August 13, 1863 at Bell Mont during the American Civil War. It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University. I have lived here since 1963. Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont, Discover the largest house built in Tennesse. Your email address will not be published. You can imagine me trying to picture my great aunt doing this, haha! Went back into the cellar a coupple more times, but never had that akward feeling again. 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). Unlock premium content, ad-free browsing, and access to comments for just $4/month. This design is derived from the neoclassical architectural style of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio.