Belle Mont (Tuscumbia, Alabama)
Encyclopedia
Belle Mont is a historic Jeffersonian
-style plantation
house near Tuscumbia
in Colbert County, Alabama
. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on February 23, 1982, due to its architectural significance.
. Mitchell, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh
, was also one of the first large-scale planters and slaveholders in the area. Mitchell sold the 1680 acres (679.9 ha) plantation to another Virginia native, Isaac Winston, in 1833. It remained in the Winston family until 1941. The house and 33 acres (13.4 ha) were donated to the Alabama Historical Commission
in 1983. It has been undergoing a phased restoration since that time and is currently operated as a historic house museum.
's influence upon the architecture of the early United States
, Belle Mont is one of only a few surviving examples of Jeffersonian architecture
in the Deep South
. Built in red brick, it features a raised, two story central section with flanking one-story wings. The side wings project toward the rear in a U-shape, forming a semi-enclosed rear courtyard.
Jeffersonian architecture
Jeffersonian Architecture is an American form of Neo-Classicism or Neo-Palladianism embodied in American president and polymath Thomas Jefferson's designs for his home , his retreat , his school , and his designs for the homes of friends and political allies...
-style plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
house near Tuscumbia
Tuscumbia, Alabama
Tuscumbia is a city in and the county seat of Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,423 and is included in The Shoals MSA....
in Colbert County, Alabama
Colbert County, Alabama
Colbert County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of brothers George and Levi Colbert, Chickasaw Indian chiefs. George Colbert operated a ferry across the Tennessee River in 1790 near present day Cherokee....
. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on February 23, 1982, due to its architectural significance.
History
Belle Mont was built between 1828 and 1832 for Dr. Alexander W. Mitchell, a native of VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Mitchell, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, was also one of the first large-scale planters and slaveholders in the area. Mitchell sold the 1680 acres (679.9 ha) plantation to another Virginia native, Isaac Winston, in 1833. It remained in the Winston family until 1941. The house and 33 acres (13.4 ha) were donated to the Alabama Historical Commission
Alabama Historical Commission
The Alabama Historical Commission is the historic preservation agency for the U. S. state of Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966 with a mission of safeguarding Alabama’s historic buildings and sites. It consists of twenty members appointed by the state...
in 1983. It has been undergoing a phased restoration since that time and is currently operated as a historic house museum.
Architecture
Considered by architectural scholars to be a clear example of Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
's influence upon the architecture of the early United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Belle Mont is one of only a few surviving examples of Jeffersonian architecture
Jeffersonian architecture
Jeffersonian Architecture is an American form of Neo-Classicism or Neo-Palladianism embodied in American president and polymath Thomas Jefferson's designs for his home , his retreat , his school , and his designs for the homes of friends and political allies...
in the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
. Built in red brick, it features a raised, two story central section with flanking one-story wings. The side wings project toward the rear in a U-shape, forming a semi-enclosed rear courtyard.