Belmont Mansion (Tennessee)
| Company type | Historic house museum |
|---|---|
| Industry | Museum, historic preservation |
| Founded | 1853 |
| Founder | Joseph Alexander Smith Acklen and Adelicia Acklen |
| Headquarters | Nashville, Tennessee , United States |
Area served | Nashville metropolitan area |
| Products | Museum tours, historic education |
| Owner | Belmont Mansion Association and Belmont University |
| Website | belmontmansion |
Belmont Mansion, originally named Belle Monte and also referred to as Acklen Hall, is a significant historic residence located in Nashville, Tennessee. Constructed using wealth generated from slavery by Joseph and Adelicia Acklen, it served as the focal point of their expansive 180-acre summer estate beyond the city limits, which included intricate gardens and a private zoo. The couple primarily resided on her plantations in Louisiana for much of the year.
After being sold in the late 1800s, the estate transitioned to educational use beginning in 1890—initially operating as a girls’ academy, then becoming the foundational structure for Belmont College, now recognized as Belmont University. Presently, the mansion functions as a museum and was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
History
Following the death of her first husband Isaac Franklin, a slave trader whose wealth she inherited, Adelicia (Hayes) Franklin married lawyer Joseph Alexander Smith Acklen in 1849. Together, they commenced the construction of Belle Monte (later known as Belmont) on a 180-acre tract near Nashville, completing it by 1853 as an Italianate villa designed for summer residence. Alongside this, they managed seven cotton plantations across Louisiana encompassing 8,600 acres.
The Belmont Mansion contained 36 rooms spanning 19,000 square feet and was encircled by covered balconies adorned with cast iron railings. A distinctive ten-foot octagonal cupola crowned the structure, serving both ventilation purposes and as an observation point. The estate also included a T-shaped guesthouse equipped with multiple guest rooms and a bowling alley, as well as an art gallery featuring a roof made of corrugated glass.
The property’s grounds were distinguished by elaborate gardens and conservatories housing exotic tropical plants, alongside an aviary, a lake, and a private zoo that accommodated bears, monkeys, peacocks, alligators imported from Louisiana, and a deer park.
Joseph and Adelicia had six children together; however, their twin infants passed away early. Joseph died in 1863 while managing plantation affairs during the Civil War. During this tumultuous period, Adelicia negotiated with both Union and Confederate officials to export 2,800 bales of cotton to Liverpool, securing $758,000 in proceeds.
In preparation for the 1864 Battle of Nashville, Union General Thomas J. Wood deployed approximately 13,000 soldiers on the estate grounds for two weeks. Although some damage occurred to the landscape, the mansion itself and its interior contents remained unharmed.
After the war concluded, Adelicia traveled to Europe accompanied by her four surviving children. There she expanded her art collection by acquiring significant marble sculptures created by leading American artists residing in Rome; four of these statues are still displayed at Belmont. She also had the distinction of being presented at the court of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie.
Shortly before her passing, Adelicia sold Belmont along with adjoining land to Lewis T. Baxter for roughly $54,000. The property was repurposed as a women’s academy and junior college in 1890. Following its merger with Ward's Seminary in 1913 to form Ward-Belmont, it was acquired by the Tennessee Baptist Convention in 1951 and developed into Belmont College with coeducational offerings.
Belmont College eventually grew into Belmont University with graduate-level programs and formally separated from the Tennessee Baptist Convention in 2007. Today, ownership of Belmont Mansion is shared between the Belmont Mansion Association and Belmont University; it is preserved as a historic landmark.
The mansion still features gilt-framed mirrors positioned above marble mantels that reflect ornate gasoliers alongside tastefully appointed parlors. Much of the original Venetian glass remains intact within windows and doorways. The Grand Salon is regarded as Tennessee’s most ornate antebellum residential interior. The gardens include five cast iron gazebos; additionally, a 105-foot water tower has been repurposed as Belmont University’s Bell Tower.
Among its distinguished guests were Mrs. James K. Polk, William Walker, Agustín de Iturbide, Dwight L. Moody, Thomas Huxley, and Octavia Walton Le Vert.
Belmont Mansion was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
See also
- Fairvue Plantation (Gallatin, Tennessee) – The summer home of Adelicia Franklin Acklen prior to acquiring the Belmont estate
- Louisiana State Penitentiary – Founded on the plantations once owned by Isaac Franklin in Louisiana, following their sale by Adelicia in 1880
- Franklin and Armfield Office
Further reading
- Wardin, Dr. Albert W., Belmont Mansion: The Residence of Joseph and Adelicia Acklen, (Nashville: Belmont Mansion Association), 2005.
External links
- Houses completed in 1853
- Belmont University
- Landmarks in Tennessee
- Museums in Davidson County, Tennessee
- Tennessee in the American Civil War
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee
- Plantation houses in Tennessee
- Historic house museums in Tennessee
- University museums in Tennessee
- Houses in Davidson County, Tennessee
- National Register of Historic Places in Nashville, Tennessee
- Franklin & Armfield