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. No profanity. What Todays Cultural Marxists Would Be Wise To Learn From Martin Luther King Jr. The antebellum plantation experience, as lived by the enslaved, was neither happy nor joyous. Is it not appropriate to celebrate momentous occasions in beautiful places? 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 you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! The answer will always be a mystery. Constructed in the 1820s, Belle Mont fell into ruin until the Alabama Historical Commission rescued it in the 1980s. Her eyes, big as saucers, alarm me. 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 Winston family maintained ownership and continued living in Belle Mont through the Civil War and until around 1940. Located in the heart of Nashville on the Belmont University Campus. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. Moreover, the entire. 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. "It is unacceptable to subject the descendants of enslaved African Americans to whitewashed versions of history that ignore their ancestors experience.". Is this place really haunted? 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. 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. One was a bluish light, the other one looked golden. According to the letter, Christmas was a disturbing time for the enslaved. Voice your opinion here! Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few Palladian-style houses in the Deep South. 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. The abandonment of the home was the largest cause of its deterioration and the vandalism that occurred at Belle Mont. In addition, volunteers from the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation assist as docents for special events and participate in fund-raising activities. Being new to the area, none of us knew of the Belmont Mansion or its location. Not sure if it did or not but sure does fit. Belle Mont's out-buildings are no longer standing, but several foundations, including that of a slave house, have been located by archeologists. At Belmont, several extended families lived in slavery over the course of several generations. 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. 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. I got chills then tried to write it off. The only way to avoid offending anyone would be to stop celebrating anything, anywhere, at any time. 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? Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. The architecture of Belmont Mansion makes it one of the most significant homes of 19th century Tennessee. Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. Dr. Mitchell and his family of seven were already living in Belle Mont when it was fully completed in 1832. I have lived here since 1963. Do not use all capital letters. 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. If you have lived in a haunted house you will not find this fun. Plantations used for bourgeois ceremonies with language that obscures or even glorifies the estates dark past are one example. 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! As of Thursday morning, Alabama Historical Commission members have not responded to the letter or AL.coms emails and phone calls. We also dont need to police their repurposing. Indeed, it was brutal and terrifying. 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? Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@reckonmedia.com, hired a black historian to research the site's enslavement history, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Three years later, during the middle of the. Tickets are available at Belle Mont Mansion and at Fiddledee D! Stories of the Past - Conversations for the Future. You can imagine me trying to picture my great aunt doing this, haha! 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. Nearby, an early 1800s mansion, Belle Mont, is available for touring. 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. The site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. A tour of this Nashville plantation tells the story . Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. Indeed, I wonder how many black Americans even have a deceased grandparent who could have had a memory of antebellum America. 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). 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. 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." YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. I mention this because Gay Mont was his home. Four bedrooms surround the rear or south courtyard, forming its U-shaped brick exterior. Most Americans know that George Washington owned enslaved people at his Mount Vernon home. While slavery is often associated with large plantations, the institution permeated Southern culture. 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. Just outside the city of Tuscumbia, the 700+ acre Cane Creek Canyon Nature . 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. 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. 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. The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. Your CommentsHave a photograph taken from this location? 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. You feel things passing by you. Visitors to the mansion have reported seeing dark shadowy figures walking the fields and have heard the sound of chains rattling near the house. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). Use the "Browse" or "Choose File" button below to select an image to upload along with your comment. Sold by the Acklen family in 1887, the house went to a developer who began one of Nashvilles early suburbs. My wife and I went to the mansion and learned of its peculiarities from the informative guide person. The answer will always be a mystery. But she never mentioned any slave ghosts. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. 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. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. I have experienced some very strange things in my home. Contact the museum for current rates, policies, and an application. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. The coalition said the event celebrated white supremacy by ignoring the enslaved people who labored at the cotton plantation. The organization behind this growing movement, Color of Change, indicts vendors for using words like breathtaking to describe plantations. e prior to the Civil War. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. Surely, we do not want to pretend these places dont have a violent, racist past. According to census records, Mitchell enslaved 115 people at the cotton plantation. Be specific. 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. Group of women standing outside Belle Mont Mansion. Some visitors say that the building . Went back into the cellar a coupple more times, but never had that akward feeling again. 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 is best to play gospel or Christian radio in your house 24/7 to make them move on. Their appetites will not be satisfied until all things and persons associated with injustice, real or imagined, are expunged from public experience and memory. 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. Positioned on a commanding hilltop, Belle Mont Mansion is one of Alabama's crowning architectural achievements. Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. 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. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. Indeed, it is the Christian character of America that has allowed us to recognize and seek to rectify our past errors. Contextualizing former slave plantations has been a concern across the nation. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. I was born and raised in Tuscumbia. Casey Chalk is a senior contributor at The Federalist and an editor and columnist at The New Oxford Review. The Alabama Historical Commission owns this historic site. Discover the largest house built in Tennessee prior to the Civil War. LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Shoals, Shoals Young Democrats and Rev. The home was built. View all AHC Owned Historic Houses & Museums. 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. An Alabama Historical Commission site, Belle Mont was built 1828-1832 and is one of the state's first great plantation houses. The house and surrounding property are reportedly haunted by the former slaves that lived and died on the plantation. 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. But fewer probably know that it . It remained in the Winston family for over a century, and is currently used as a historic house museum open for tours by appointment. 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. 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.
Rider University Dorm, Prof Kamene Okonjo Biography, Hazmat Tanker Trucking Companies, Articles B