3 minute read
BELMONT MANSION
A HOLIDAY TO REMEMBER
By Myers Brown
PHOTO COURTESY OF BELMONT MASION
Not far from Maury County is Belmont Mansion, located on the campus of Belmont University, which was the summer home of Joseph and Adelicia Acklen. It was constructed between 1850 and 1853 with an addition added in 1860, this Italian Villa-style home dominated the hillside on what was then the outskirts of Nashville. The Belmont estate consisted of 115 acres of gardens and a supporting farm which included a water tower, greenhouse/ conservatory, art gallery, bowling alley, bath house, gardeners’ cottage, zoo, and housing for the thirty-two enslaved persons who worked in the house and grounds. In an era when women rarely had the ability to maintain independent wealth from their husbands, Adelicia Acklen did so over the course of three marriages.
Beginning on December 1 and leading up to the Battle of Nashville on December 15-16, 1864, the 4th Corps of the Union Army used Belmont as their headquarters. While the Mansion remained largely unharmed, the grounds and gardens were left in ruins as were the farm buildings.
In 1887, just before Adelicia’s death, a land development company purchased the estate. In 1890, Ida Hood and Susan Herron purchased the house and thirteen acres to start Belmont College for Young Women. In 1913, the school merged with Ward Female Seminary to become Ward-Belmont College for Women and in 1951 the school turned co-ed and became Belmont College. Today the school is Belmont University.
The Mansion has been painstakingly restored to its 1860s appearance. It reflects the decorative taste of the Victorian era complete with elaborate interior finishes, original works of art, painted ceilings, and much of the original Acklen and Cheatham family furnishings. Exhibits within the Mansion tell the story of the enslaved, free Black and immigrant workers who provided the labor force to make Belmont operate.
During the holiday season, the Mansion appears decorated in the style of the mid-19th century and special Christmas tours are available. Tours focusing on the Civil War are also offered throughout November and December.
A HOLIDAY TO REMEMBER
A treasured Nashville holiday tradition, returns to Belmont Mansion with David Alford’s telling of two classic Truman Capote short stories, “The Thanksgiving Visitor” and the much loved “A Christmas Memory.” After nearly a decade away from performing on local stages, the Nashville actor returns with his one-man recitation of the two stories. This is a highlight of Nashville's end-of-year celebrations, performed with original music by Paul Carrol Binkley and presented in the beautifully decorated Grand Salon of the historic Belmont Mansion.
PERFORMANCE DATES
December 14–16 and 20–22. Show time is at 7:30 p.m.
For additional information on mansion tours or to purchase show tickets visit belmontmansion.com or call (615) 460-5459. Follow them on social media at @belmontmansion.
