One was a bluish light, the other one looked golden. Countless Haunt Hunters have been arrested, ticketed, and reprimanded by the authorities for trespassing. 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. 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. Small items like dimes and nails are moved. Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few Palladian-style houses in the Deep South. 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. Moreover, the entire country was once the land of American Indians, and a good deal of it deceptively or violently taken from them. 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. Use of the directory is at the discretion of the individual. General Martin retired to his Belle Mont plantation at Leatherwood, which he purchased in 1796 from Benjamin Harrison V of Berkeley Plantation. This design is derived from the neoclassical architectural style of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. These families included the Baker and Snowden families, among others. 1569 Cook Lane, Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674 View Map CONTACT Site Director: Ninon Parker Museum: 256- 381-5052 Email: bellemontmansion@gmail.com Jonece Starr Dunigan | jdunigan@reckonmedia.com, hired a black historian to research the site's enslavement history, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Mr. Winston was a cousin of Dolly Madison, Patrick Henry, and Isaac Cole, who was a personal friend and secretary of President Thomas Jefferson. 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). Visitors to the mansion have reported seeing dark shadowy figures walking the fields and have heard the sound of chains rattling near the house. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. 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. 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. In 1790, John Hipkins purchased the property from the Conway family and in 1791 built Belle Grove for his only child, Fannie. The National Paranormal Society is not responsible for individuals, teams and submissions listed on the NPS website. 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. If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know! Have a haunt/halloween related news story or a tip? Administrative use only. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. Owned by the Alabama Historical Commission and operated by the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation. 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. 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. Belle Mont Mansion | Tuscumbia AL Belle Mont Mansion has resumed normal operating hours and will be operating at reduced capacity to safeguard against COVID-19. 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? 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? 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 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). The Winston family maintained ownership and continued living in Belle Mont through the Civil War and until around 1940. Her aunt, who was only a few years older than her, got busted sneaking in/vandalizing the mansion. Please report any inaccuracies. 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. Plantation Christmas at Belle Mont is held annually the first Sunday in December and features period costumed interpreters, decorations, refreshments, and entertainment. One account is from young William Acklin, a enslaved worker, and the other from a visitor to the estate. In 1833, the property was bought by Issac Williams, who owned 119 enslaved people by 1855. I got chills then tried to write it off. 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. 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." And have seen shadows and once a figure of a person. The site originally served as the centerpiece for the large scale cotton. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. 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. 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. Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. Very little historic data, including census records, include last names of those who were enslaved, making it challenging to locate descendents through geneaology records. "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.'". Moreover, the entire. The answer will always be a mystery. 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. Its important the reality of what happened in these spaces is present, versus a romanticization of human rights abuses.. 2023 The Federalist, A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media. Belle Mont's out-buildings are no longer standing, but several foundations, including that of a slave house, have been located by archeologists. All rights reserved. Blanket from Belle Mont Mansion. This would have been in the late 60s, early 70s I would guess. All information on this page was submitted to Alabama Haunted Houses and was believed to be accurate at the time it was posted. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? This is not a good thing. 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. Click "thumbs up" if you think its haunted, or "thumbs down" if you think its all just a tall tale. Belle Mont isnt included in either of Kathryn Tucker Windhams books about Alabama ghosts. It's currently operated as a museum, and tours are available. 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. Admission: Adults $6; students, seniors, military $5; and children 6-18 $3. It was one of those drizzly unpleasant days, so after a while I went into the Cellar area of the plantation. It also reflects the vulnerability of American businesses to the whims of leftist protest movements. 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? However, the staff continues to research as we endeavor to tell the stories of all who lived at Belmont. Not-So-Scary Haunted Houses (Kid Friendly). Be specific. The Belle Mont Mansion in Tuscumbia Alabama was built around 1828 for physician and planter Alexander Williams Mitchell. Is it possible that Dr. Mitchell built Belle Mont in this style, two years after Jeffersons death, to honor the late president? The answer will always be a mystery. According to the letter, Christmas was a disturbing time for the enslaved. He has a bachelors in history and masters in teaching from the University of Virginia and a masters in theology from Christendom College. 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. Intimate and elegant elopement ceremonies are popular at Belmont Mansion! 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. Constructed in the 1820s, Belle Mont fell into ruin until the Alabama Historical Commission rescued it in the 1980s. Share Your Experience or Comments - Belle Mont. The Conway family purchased the property in 1670 and it remained in the family for 120 years. Although the original architect and builder remain unknown, the style of Belle Mont appears also to have been influenced by past. The voices in the night are the hardest to explain away. 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. Positioned on a commanding hilltop, Belle Mont Mansion is one of Alabama's crowning architectural achievements. It has a staff of three: a site director, curator, and tour guide. 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. Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. 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. A variety of factors have made researching the lives of Belmont's enslaved residents difficult. Marble bust of Helen Keller. The Miracle Worker organ. My great great great great grandfather used to live at the belle mont mansion ! Following the death of his wife Alexander Mitchell remarried and sold the plantation to Isaac and Catherine Winston and moved to Philadelphia in 1833. What Todays Cultural Marxists Would Be Wise To Learn From Martin Luther King Jr. That seems far more justified than puritannical policing of plantations. Stay safe. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). 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. Affordable Nashville Elopements start here! Indeed, it was brutal and terrifying. 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. 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. A majority of rooms in Belmont Mansion have been meticulously restored. 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. 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. Visit BelmontMansionEvents.com to review options to Elope in Nashville at Belmont Mansion. 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. As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. 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. "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. The property is located just south of Tuscumbia and west of US Route 43 at 1569 Cook Lane. Will NOT be displayed. 2008-2023 AlabamaHauntedHouses.com. 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. The antebellum plantation experience, as lived by the enslaved, was neither happy nor joyous. 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. I have experienced some very strange things in my home. The house is listed on the National Historic Registry (#19820223). It is said to be haunted by slaves who died on the grounds and also by former owners. For more information, click here. 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. It was the centerpiece of a 1,760 acre cotton plantation and had one of the largest slave populations in the state. Went back into the cellar a coupple more times, but never had that akward feeling again. He says, the man that lives in that house. still pointing. 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. The Alabama Historical Commission owns this historic site. According to census records, Mitchell enslaved 115 people at the cotton plantation. Protest movements that perceive victimization and microaggression under every rock also wreak havoc on our countrys economy. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. ?????? 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. Tickets are available at Belle Mont Mansion and at Fiddledee D! 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. All rights reserved (About Us). We also dont need to police their repurposing. Most Americans know that George Washington owned enslaved people at his Mount Vernon home. It's estimated that 40 percent of slave owners may have been white women. 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. Is it not appropriate to celebrate momentous occasions in beautiful places? All rights reserved. Constructed between 1849 and 1860, Belmont Mansion was the home of Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. This 1860 census, also called a Slave Schedule, provides a limited picture of all who were living at Belmont and where they lived. Strange are there actually any African Americans who have memories of the antebellum period, given that it ended 160 years ago? Belle Mont is located south of Tuscumbia in Colbert Couty in northwest Alabama. We have located just two first-hand accounts of slavery at Belmont. It is best to play gospel or Christian radio in your house 24/7 to make them move on. Belle Mont Mansion is located outside of Tuscumbia. Voice your opinion here! Before you visit ANY local real haunt, make sure to acquire the appropriate permits and/or permissions, and be respectful of privately owned properties. 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. No haunted tours for me. Nearby, an early 1800s mansion, Belle Mont, is available for touring. The site is 1/4 mile west of US 43 South on Cook Lane, three miles south of intersection US 43 and US 72. Visitors to the mansion have reported seeing dark shadowy figures walking the fields and have heard the sound of chains rattling near the house. Some visitors say that the building . The coalition said the event celebrated white supremacy by ignoring the enslaved people who labored at the cotton plantation. I mention this because Gay Mont was his home. 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. 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. Isaac Winston owned 114 slaves according to the 1860 census and died August 13, 1863 at Bell Mont during the American Civil War. 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,. Peace to everyone. At the time, the name of the plantation was not Gay Mont, but Rose Hill. The only way to avoid offending anyone would be to stop celebrating anything, anywhere, at any time. Belle Mont Mansion, known for its architecture, was built in 1828 for Alexander Williams Mitchell. 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. The home was built. 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. No profanity. Yes, its true that some historical artifacts across Americas landscape are honored in ways that belittle or demean our fellow countrymen. I remember her sounding really flippant about it and me wondering how being shot at was not a big deal! As there is not formal cemetery for the slaves it is likely that they were buried on some part of the estate. 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. Do not use all capital letters. Please contact nps.submissions@gmail.com for more information. View all AHC Owned Historic Houses & Museums. Ninon Parker puts candles out on the table fully set for dinner at Belle Mont Mansion in Colbert County. First, there is no such thing as a slave plantation. There are cotton plantations, sugar plantations, tobacco plantations, etc., etc., but no slave plantations. Then they could celebrate their wedding reception at a Southern manor and have a hell of a good time. 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.