"It is unacceptable to subject the descendants of enslaved African Americans to whitewashed versions of history that ignore their ancestors experience.". It remained in the Winston family for over a century, and is currently used as a historic house museum open for tours by appointment. Things seem to be at their worst after midnight, until early dawn. Because of the tragedies that transpired therin, they powerfully communicate how far America has come. It is said to be haunted by slaves who died on the grounds and also by former owners. The site originally served as the centerpiece for the large scale cotton. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. 68 were here. Your CommentsHave a photograph taken from this location? Happy haunting! At this time, the family decided to move to a different location but continued to hold Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in the mansion. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! "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. The architecture of Belmont Mansion makes it one of the most significant homes of 19th century Tennessee. Belle Mont also illustrates Jeffersons reverence for the neoclassical architectural elements and ideas of the Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio,The Winston family maintained ownership and continued living in Belle Mont through the Civil War and until around 1940. Ken is a graphic designer, web developer and co-founder of One True Paranormal, a para-group in southwest Missouri. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. Its also not as if Dixie estates were the only sites where acts of brutality were committed by one group of Americans against another. Four bedrooms surround the rear or south courtyard, forming its U-shaped brick exterior. Blanket from Belle Mont Mansion. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. According to the letter, Christmas was a disturbing time for the enslaved. The answer will always be a mystery. Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation, Inc. is the support group in charge of operating the site. Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few Palladian-style houses in the Deep South. All rights reserved. Nor do the sins of our forefathers nullify their many acts of virtue or the great political and cultural gifts they bestowed upon future generations. In addition, volunteers from the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation assist as docents for special events and participate in fund-raising activities. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. Gradually, the family gatherings became less frequent until the home was completely abandoned. 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. I grew up in Florence and my Great Grandmother lived near the mansion on Colbert Heights mountain. Peace to everyone. Administrative use only. 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. Doors open and close. Discover the largest house built in Tennessee prior to the Civil War. At Belmont, several extended families lived in slavery over the course of several generations. 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. If such locales have tragic histories, this is all the more reason to reimagine them in ways that both recognize and overcome that past. n 1832. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. . My wife and I went to the mansion and learned of its peculiarities from the informative guide person. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. Located in the middle of the Belmont University campusbehind Freeman Hall. 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. The house and surrounding property are reportedly haunted by the former slaves that lived and died on the plantation. The letter was signed by social justice groups Project Say Something, Standing in Power, of Decatur, and Beyond the Women's March. 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. Gift Shop (111 S. Main St., Tuscumbia). 2008-2023 AlabamaHauntedHouses.com. Couple looking at a car in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. A tour of this Nashville plantation tells the story . 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. Just outside the city of Tuscumbia, the 700+ acre Cane Creek Canyon Nature . Being new to the area, none of us knew of the Belmont Mansion or its location. 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. The Alabama Historical Commission owns this historic site. He says, the man that lives in that house. still pointing. The Belle Mont Mansion was constructed from 1828-1832. 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. Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. Wesley Thompson of Bethel Colbert Missionary Baptists Church also signed the letter. The designer is unknown but seems to have been influenced by Thomas Jefferson's ideas and style. Your email address will not be published. Visitors to this page: 3,182 belle mont mansion slaves July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022. Not sure if it did or not but sure does fit. General Martin retired to his Belle Mont plantation at Leatherwood, which he purchased in 1796 from Benjamin Harrison V of Berkeley Plantation. But she never mentioned any slave ghosts. 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. Stories of the Past - Conversations for the Future. I was born and raised in Tuscumbia. It was the centerpiece of a 1,760 acre cotton plantation and had one of the largest slave populations in the state. Before you visit ANY local real haunt, make sure to acquire the appropriate permits and/or permissions, and be respectful of privately owned properties. Weddings should be a symbol of love and unity. 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. === A monument was errected in 2008 on the old Henry Courthouse square in Martinsville, VA. . Admission: Adults $6; students, seniors, military $5; and children 6-18 $3. We have located just two first-hand accounts of slavery at Belmont. 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? The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. In each society and in each generation slaves adjusted and . I got chills then tried to write it off. Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few . Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? Plantation Christmas at Belle Mont is held annually the first Sunday in December and features period costumed interpreters, decorations, refreshments, and entertainment. We also dont need to police their repurposing. Belle Meade plantation is one of the premier plantations in Tennessee and one of the top attractions in the state. Constructed in the 1820s, Belle Mont fell into ruin until the Alabama Historical Commission rescued it in the 1980s. 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. 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 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 tell when I was growing up was that the book 13 Alabama Ghosts held a tell from that house. Countless Haunt Hunters have been arrested, ticketed, and reprimanded by the authorities for trespassing. One account is from young William Acklin, a enslaved worker, and the other from a visitor to the estate. 1569 Cook Lane, Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674 View Map CONTACT Site Director: Ninon Parker Museum: 256- 381-5052 Email: bellemontmansion@gmail.com 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? You can visit the historic Belle Mont Mansion at 1569 Cook Ln., Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. Affordable Nashville Elopements start here! 2019 was the year it finally became socially unacceptable to use a historic plantation as a wedding venue. All rights reserved. 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. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen.

Badass Greek Phrases, John Deere Gator 620i Water Pump Replacement, Articles B