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View all AHC Owned Historic Houses & Museums. As of Thursday morning, Alabama Historical Commission members have not responded to the letter or AL.coms emails and phone calls. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. 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. These families included the Baker and Snowden families, among others. 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. Be specific. Nearby, an early 1800s mansion, Belle Mont, is available for touring. Related Videos Video #1 I remember her sounding really flippant about it and me wondering how being shot at was not a big deal! The site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. Visit BelmontMansionEvents.com to review options to Elope in Nashville at Belmont Mansion. The only way to avoid offending anyone would be to stop celebrating anything, anywhere, at any time. === A monument was errected in 2008 on the old Henry Courthouse square in Martinsville, VA. . Three years later, during the middle of the. 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. Records of the property's destruction includes information related to the number of slave dwellings on the property. Their appetites will not be satisfied until all things and persons associated with injustice, real or imagined, are expunged from public experience and memory. Belle Mont Mansion | Tuscumbia AL Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. Now, thats poetic justice. . What Todays Cultural Marxists Would Be Wise To Learn From Martin Luther King Jr. It's currently operated as a museum, and tours are available. Its just really weird that we both saw this happen at the exact same time. Went back into the cellar a coupple more times, but never had that akward feeling again. Administrative use only. It remained in the Winston family for over a century, and is currently used as a historic house museum open for tours by appointment. I was born and raised in Tuscumbia. 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. 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. Belle Mont also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio,. Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@reckonmedia.com, hired a black historian to research the site's enslavement history, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. This was just word of mouth and may not have been accurate, but Im glad to hear it can be toured. 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. 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. This mansion is believed to have been influenced by Palladian style architecture for which Thomas Jefferson is known. Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! 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. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. My Dad bought it at that time. You can visit the historic Belle Mont Mansion at 1569 Cook Ln., Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674. The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. 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. Belle Mont attracts approximately 5,000 visitors each year. LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Shoals, Shoals Young Democrats and Rev. 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. Open Letter Plantation Christmas by Jonece on Scribd. The first slaves arrived to Belle Meade in 1807, and as decades rolled on, the number of slaves tripled to 136 of by 1860 based on the 1860 census record. In 1833, the property was bought by Issac Williams, who owned 119 enslaved people by 1855. Constructed in the 1820s, Belle Mont fell into ruin until the Alabama Historical Commission rescued it in the 1980s. It also reflects the vulnerability of American businesses to the whims of leftist protest movements. All rights reserved. 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. Blue Star Museum: Belle Mont proudly offers free admission to active duty military personnel and their families between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Its also not as if Dixie estates were the only sites where acts of brutality were committed by one group of Americans against another. Unlock premium content, ad-free browsing, and access to comments for just $4/month. 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. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? Indeed, it was brutal and terrifying. The groups who are critiquing the event in Tuscumbia believe historical sites must be honest and respectful. Stories of the Past - Conversations for the Future. Just outside the city of Tuscumbia, the 700+ acre Cane Creek Canyon Nature . The architecture of Belmont Mansion makes it one of the most significant homes of 19th century Tennessee. Visit BelmontMansionEvents.com to review options to Elope in Nashville at Belmont Mansion. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. 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 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. Shes told me that prior to the restorations the mansion was a prime site for local teens to be dumb kids trespass, vandalize, etc. 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. Located in the heart of Nashville on the Belmont University Campus. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Nanyehi was among the first Cherokee to own African-American slaves. Wesley Thompson of Bethel Colbert Missionary Baptists Church also signed the letter. complete with original and period furniture, artwork and statuary. Have a haunt/halloween related news story or a tip? 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? Although the original architect and builder remain unknown, the style of Belle Mont appears also to have been influenced by past. 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. Marble bust of Helen Keller. Gradually, the family gatherings became less frequent until the home was completely abandoned.The abandonment of the home was the largest cause of its deterioration and the vandalism that occurred at Belle Mont. 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. 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. Belle Mont, built between 1828 and 1832, was a plantation that used slave labor. At this time, the family decided to move to a different location but continued to hold Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in the mansion. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. Strange are there actually any African Americans who have memories of the antebellum period, given that it ended 160 years ago? Belle Mont Mansion has resumed normal operating hours and will be operating at reduced capacity to safeguard against COVID-19. According to census records, Mitchell enslaved 115 people at the cotton plantation. Slave child's doll inside Belle Mont Mansion. 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. 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. 3. Very little historic data, including census records, include last names of those who were enslaved, making it challenging to locate descendents through geneaology records. This design is derived from the neoclassical architectural style of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. 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. Visitors to the mansion have reported seeing dark shadowy figures walking the fields and have heard the sound of chains rattling near the house. Violence against blacks and other disenfranchised groups have occurred across our nation's landscape, many in popular and well-trod locales, North and South, East and West. This style stems from the neoclassical architectural design of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. 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. Yet self-righteous assaults on these places and the many ways they are used will not bring restorative justice. The voices in the night are the hardest to explain away. What do you think? 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." Post was not sent - check your email addresses! 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. But she never mentioned any slave ghosts. It's estimated that 40 percent of slave owners may have been white women. 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. 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. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. belle mont mansion slaves July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022. 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. Located in the middle of the Belmont University campusbehind Freeman Hall. If such locales have tragic histories, this is all the more reason to reimagine them in ways that both recognize and overcome that past. Some visitors say that the building . Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? 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. 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. 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. Sign up for our newsletter and receive Halloween event updates, discounts and more! We went back there, and I finished the project, with help from all was involved. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. Weddings should be a symbol of love and unity. And have seen shadows and once a figure of a person. 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. Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Belle Mont's out-buildings are no longer standing, but several foundations, including that of a slave house, have been located by archeologists. Blanket from Belle Mont Mansion. I asked, Do you see him now? in a jested way as I awkwardly half-smile to my wife. And in the process, these attacks have unintended economic consequences on working-class Americans. Share Your Experience or Comments - Belle Mont. The historic home is the site of the annual Art of the Dish this week. 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. 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. But fewer probably know that it . 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. All information on this page was submitted to Alabama Haunted Houses and was believed to be accurate at the time it was posted. 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 , built circa 1828, is one of the few examples of Palladian-style houses in Alabama. That seems far more justified than puritannical policing of plantations. Moreover, the entire country was once the land of American Indians, and a good deal of it deceptively or violently taken from them. Not-So-Scary Haunted Houses (Kid Friendly). 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. We have located just two first-hand accounts of slavery at Belmont. Affordable Nashville Elopements start here! YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. 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. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). The Winston family maintained ownership and continued living in Belle Mont through the Civil War and until around 1940. Your CommentsHave a photograph taken from this location? Peace to everyone. 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 schooner Clotilda smuggled African captives into the U.S. in 1860, more than 50 years after importing slaves was outlawed. 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. Belle Mont was erected in 1828 for a physician from Louisa County, Virginia, Dr. Alexander Williams Mitchell. 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. Indeed, I wonder how many black Americans even have a deceased grandparent who could have had a memory of antebellum America. 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. In addition, volunteers from the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation assist as docents for special events and participate in fund-raising activities. 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 National Paranormal Society is not responsible for individuals, teams and submissions listed on the NPS website. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. Belle Mont is available for special events. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. 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. 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. 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? "It is unacceptable to subject the descendants of enslaved African Americans to whitewashed versions of history that ignore their ancestors experience.". Use the "Browse" or "Choose File" button below to select an image to upload along with your comment. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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. 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. Group of women standing outside Belle Mont Mansion. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. Indeed, it is the Christian character of America that has allowed us to recognize and seek to rectify our past errors. 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. Things seem to be at their worst after midnight, until early dawn. My great great great great grandfather used to live at the belle mont mansion ! Because of the tragedies that transpired therin, they powerfully communicate how far America has come. Casey Chalk is a senior contributor at The Federalist and an editor and columnist at The New Oxford Review. Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont, Discover the largest house built in Tennesse. 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. 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. All rights reserved. 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. This would have been in the late 60s, early 70s I would guess. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. 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. In each society and in each generation slaves adjusted and . All of these places, despite their histories, are objectively beautiful. Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. 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). Plantations used for bourgeois ceremonies with language that obscures or even glorifies the estates dark past are one example. You can imagine me trying to picture my great aunt doing this, haha! 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. My daughter and I have both heard clear voices that sound kind of far away, but you can understand them. 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 underlying premise of the anti-plantation movement is that Southern plantations cannot be romanticized. At this time, the family decided to move to a different location but continued to hold Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in the mansion. 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. 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. This 1860 census, also called a Slave Schedule, provides a limited picture of all who were living at Belmont and where they lived. Voice your opinion here! Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. This is not a good thing. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. 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. Then they could celebrate their wedding reception at a Southern manor and have a hell of a good time. One account is from young William Acklin, a enslaved worker, and the other from a visitor to the estate. Disclaimer: Alabama Haunted Houses does not endorse or support trespassing to visit real haunts. The organization behind this growing movement, Color of Change, indicts vendors for using words like breathtaking to describe plantations. However, while living in Belle Mont and planting the surrounding acres, Dr. Mitchell housed 152 slaves in 13 slave cabins on the property. An example of this occurred in December, when a number of black medical students posed for a photo at a former slave plantation, a site some of them called holy. Heck, why not celebrate their graduation there? The tell when I was growing up was that the book 13 Alabama Ghosts held a tell from that house. 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 Alabama Historical Commission owns this historic site. I mention this because Gay Mont was his home. Jones says her new title is one she holds . 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. 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. 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. Belle Mont was built for Alexander Williams Mitchell, who grew up in Louisa County, Virginia, only 25 miles from Jefferson's home at Monticello. 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. Many of them, even their detractors must admit, are beautiful, both in reference to their natural surroundings and their architecture. Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale. Contextualizing former slave plantations has been a concern across the nation. We also dont need to police their repurposing. "While the holidays brought a brief respite from work, many enslaved people took the opportunity to escape the bondage of the plantation," the letter said. Stay safe. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Is it not appropriate to celebrate momentous occasions in beautiful places? Happy haunting! A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. Please report any inaccuracies. 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. Ticket options include: General Admission, Guided Tour, Curator Tour & Civil War at Belmont.