(DESCRIBED AS "AN OLD SLAVE AND HANDY MAN") In her spare time, Leslie can be found traveling to see friends, to explore history, or to attend one of the many concerts she so enjoys. Belmont Mansion is fortunate to have a Board of Directors that help to guide the workings of the home. Daniel, Johnson, who planned to reopen the school. A highlight of this was a study abroad year which allowed for much US travel and an epic Greyhound trip, at very low speeds, around 28 states in 35 days. Chrissy was born in North Carolina and has primarily resided in Raleigh. Bellamy joined the top rated Tom Joyner Morning Show as a weekly co-host for the 2017 season. returned to Wilmington to begin the practice of his profession. His projects there included a log barn reconstruction for the Charlotte Museum of History, stabilization of structures at Historic Brattonsville, SC and work on several landmark properties in Charlotte and in Mecklenburg County. In 2018, Bellamy had a key recurring role on HBO's INSECURE. She even described the basement as "more like hog pen than anything else." In a deed from Maurice Moore to John Baptiste Ashe, dated December 5, 1727, in which Moore is described as, of Bath County,: he conveys 640 acres on the north side. Eliza and Harriett were very different with one major difference being Eliza was a pro-slavery Confederate while Harriett was from a staunch Hartford, Connecticut abolitionist family. Along with the ten members of the Bellamy family, nine enslaved workers also lived at the household. History of The Bellamy Mansion. The town was full also of, Confederate soldiers, who encamped at Camp Lamb, in the northern part of the city, at the present site of, Delgado Cotton Mills, now Spofford Mills (todays, area of Wrightsville Avenue and Dawson Street), and, in South Wilmington, drilling to aid in the defense, of the city and the fortifications of the river, He continues: We happened to be, my father and I, at, Grovely Plantation, when Fort Fisher fell, and Fort Anderson, was evacuated, and the Confederate troops retreated to, Wilmington. All Rights Reserved. Thanks for signing up! He had sent a flat-load of provisions and wood, to Wilmington, and when it reached Lower Town Creek, Bridge (on current Highway 133), the Federal troops, seized it and drove the confederates back towards, Wilmington. She moved to North Carolina to be closer to her family and fell in love with its varied landscape and natural beauty. Aside from being an operational museum, the Bellamy Mansion is also available for weddings and special events rentals. Joseph Hawley, a Brigadier-General in the Federal Army. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Cape Fear Bank. On June 12, of the same year, he was married to. Eliza was also upset that Harriett offered her "some figswhich Aunt Sarah had picked." After college, Jack excelled as a third-generation home builder and real estate agent, eventually working as a project manager for Lee Morgan Inc., a historic restoration general contractor in Charlotte. Less than a month later, the unthinkable happened. The Bellamys did not move there until, A short time later the Parsleys purchased a home, in Lumberton and moved there, perhaps anticipating the, Trustees of the college and their president, Rev. Jen has wonderful memories of her grandparents taking her on tours of downtown Wilmington and watching fireworks from the top of the old parking garage across from the Battleship. The authentic and unique slave quarters, fully restored as of 2014, serves to depict the conditions in which enslaved workers lived. In the summer of 1865, he sought a pardon to reclaim his property. home was built at Fifth and Market Streets. Dr. She grew up in Florida and traveled north to go to school in the south, first studying Art History at Virginia Tech (go Hokies!) During this time, 14 properties were permanently protected by preservation easements and cash reserves for the non-profit grew from $55,000 to $850,000. I recollect well when the seat of the Confederate government. The house remained the Bellamy's home for 80 years, surviving 2 generations of the family, until Ellen Douglas Bellamy, daughter of John and Eliza, died in 1946. One of them is the superintendent of the cemetery himself. She joined Preservation North Carolina in the summer of 1998 while completing her degree in Business Administration from NC State University. In 1846 Dr. Bellamy purchased the Governor Benjamin Smith, residence originally built in 1805 while at the zenith of his political, career. Among the men building the house were a number of enslaved workers from Wilmington, several freed black artisans, and other skilled carpenters from the area. His medical practice was successful; however, the majority of his wealth came from his operation of a turpentine distillery in Brunswick County, his position as a director of the Bank of the Cape Fear, and his investment, as director and stockholder, in the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. She is very active in the Tarboro community and sits on the Faade Grant Committee as a founding member, is currently chair of the Main Street Design committee and sits on the executive board, and is host mom to baseball players for the Tarboro River Bandits each year, spending most of her summers at the ballfield. Corning Foundation ", Founded in 1939, Preservation NC (PNC) is the state's only private nonprofit preservation organization that serves all NC counties. From 1899 -1903 John Jr. represented North Carolina as a United States Congressman, and served as the Dean of the North Carolina Bar Association from 1926 to 1927. After several years freelancing for Our State Magazine, Walter Magazine, and many local interior designers and architects, while also acting as a content curator at a large art firm, Annie decided to follow her heart and make the jump to a career in historic preservation. The restoration of the site's original slave quarters took more than a decade from initial capital campaign efforts to finally opening to the public in 2014, but the first phase began in the 1970's with stabilization of the roof by Bellamy Mansion, Inc. He purchased the 2-bed, 4-bath, 3,324 sq ft in March of 2001 for $930K, according to public records. Jack Thomson is a native of Western North Carolina and attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. William developed a successful medical practice of his own, just as his father and grandfather had before in Wilmington. 919-832-3652 Since 1978, Myrick Howard has been President here at Preservation North Carolina, the states only statewide private nonprofit preservation organization. Help us get you more of the nonprofit information you need, including: An email has been sent to the address you provided. NC Arts Council On March 1, 1865, General Joseph Roswell Hawley was placed in charge of the Wilmington District and assigned the Bellamy House. Born and bred in the small town of Hertford, Shannon grew up surrounded by the historic buildings of eastern North Carolina which are steeped in rich history. and Mrs. Bellamys children included Mary Elizabeth, who married William J. Duffie of Columbia; Mardsen, who, became a prominent attorney and married Harriet Harleee of, Mars Bluff, SC; William James Harriss, who became a, noted local physician and married Mary W. Russell; and, Eliza and Ellen who remained single and lived in the old, John Dillard, who became a prominent attorney and US. The enslaved plasterer managed to escape from Wilmington with several other enslaved workers on the night of September 21, 1862. A life-long North Carolinian, Mary Frances spent her childhood touring historic sites across the state with her parents. Ten Bellamys moved into the big house while nine enslaved workers moved into the outbuildings. secessionist proclivities, son John D. Bellamy, Jr. recalled: [When Dr. Bellamy] found that most prominent people in. Guy Nixon, the butler and carriage driver for the Bellamys, would run errands, answer the door, and serve meals. This building, has on three sides, most beautifully proportioned Corinthian, columns, with exquisitely carved capitals., Much of the labor on the mansion was performed by, free-black carpenters and their slaves (Slave craftsmen, assisted master artisans who built and embellished. Grovely," in Brunswick county, is located on Town Creek, and consists of nearly a thousand acres, my father having, bought many adjoining tracts to keep settlers from coming too, near to interfere with his Negro slaves. Bill is currently shooting a series regular role in the ABC pilot, NANA, alongside . several times into the contents. This fence and the garden have been maintained throughout the years and remain on the grounds of the mansion today.[1]. The dining room table here was "laden with everything conceivably good," but the Civil War broke out the following month and "ended all entertaining for four long years.". Dr. Bellamy lived here until their new. Soon the family found creative ways to utilize the mansion. Click here to view a full list of counties that Jack works with in the western region. (portrait above fireplace. The Free Negro in North Carolina, John H. Franklin, UNC Press, 1943 own freedom, and to purchase his own slaves. The Bellamy Children: "Dr. and Mrs. Bellamy's children included Mary Elizabeth, who married William J. Duffie of Columbia; Mardsen, who in history, with a concentration in historic preservation, from UNC-Greensboro. Julianne lives in Rougemont with her husband, son, and Pithuahua (Pitbull/Chihuahua mix, yes, its a thing). [1], While the family was still at Grovely Plantation, Federal troops arrived in Wilmington on February 22, having pushed many of the Confederate troops inland. Since its completion in 1861 it has endured occupation by Union officers during the Civil War, arsonists' attempts to burn it to the ground in 1972, and most recently the ravages of Hurricane Florence. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Cape Fear Bank. The slave quarters had been inhabited through the 1930's by servants and renters, but it too was dilapidated. Early in 1860, Bunnell sent drawings for window sashes, inside trim, and the 25-foot Corinthian columns for the, colonnade to the factory of Jenkins and Porter, on, (North Carolina Architecture, pp. She enjoys traveling, the beach, and baseball. tailors, tanners, brick makers, carpenters, brick and stone masons, cabinet makers, caterers, blacksmiths and shoemakers, and they, often purchased their own black slaves to help in their businesses, The census of 1830 listed 192 free-blacks in North Carolina, who owned from one to 41 slaves, while almost half of that, By 1860, there were twenty-four free Negro mechanics plying their, trade in North Carolina. On hot days, the windows of the belvedere were propped open to create a vacuum effect to naturally cool the upper floors of the home. Land of the Golden River, Lewis Philip Hall, 1980 Building : Bellamy, John Mansion (Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina) Architect-carpenter: Post, James F., 1818-1899 Contractor: Artis, Elvin, 1820-1886 Architect: Bunnell, Rufus, 1835-1909 Plasterer: Price Family Carpenter: Taylor, Henry, 1823-1891 Plasterer: Gould, William Benjamin, 1837-1923 Carpenter: Howe Family Built: 1859-1860 While an undergraduate student, Cathleen worked as an intern in low-wealth historic neighborhoods in Atlanta, which sparked her passion for neighborhood revitalization and affordable housing. Bisher, Catherine W. The Bellamy Mansion Wilmington North Carolina: An Antebellum Architectural Treasure and Its People 2004 PNC Inc. Cashman, Diane Cobb. Mary Duke Biddle Foundation This turned the mansion into a public historic site. Rosella and six other females were also working in the home, including Joan, a wet nurse and nanny for the Bellamy children; Caroline, Joans daughter (who was 7 in 1860) and was described as Mrs. Bellamys "little maid" who followed Eliza "from foot to foot"; Mary Ann, a 14-year old in 1860 who was likely learning tasks from Sarah, Joan, and Rosella. We had nothing to eat, no wood (they had burned up every fence, no fire)! of Town Creek, about five miles above ye Old Town, commonly known by the name of Spring Garden, granted, to said Moore, June 20, 1725. A northerner living in Rhode Island until 4th grade, Dawn lived in the central west coast of Florida until she graduated from college with a BA in Womens Studies. Learn more from skilled free-blacks and slaves for his construction projects. Eliza recalled Harriett spit tobacco into the fireplace. [1], Through the 1970s and 1980s, Bellamy Mansion, Inc., worked to complete exterior restoration of the main home and the servants' quarters in the rear of the property, and to raise funds for the interior renovations. Maggie also owns an AirBnB next door to her house which is an historic duplex and is under restoration. There are no windows on the rear of the slave quarters, meaning enslaved workers could only look out and view the main house, which they were close to. [1], By 1860, as the Bellamy family prepared to move into their new home on Market Street, their family included eight children, ages ranging from one to nineteen. Symbolically, the pitch of the roof of the slave quarters was highest at the outside edge and then slanted sharply toward the yard; an expression of the human relationship involved. The name of this place, was afterwards changed by some of Mr. Ashes successors, to Grovely, by which name it has been known for more, than a hundred years. They were always, neatly dressed in the woolen and cotton clothes produced by. He took the. Maggie is known for her love of holidays and over the top decorating, especially at Christmas, and of sports, especially Carolina Panthers football. She spent her youth either dancing in local performances or riding shotgun with her realtor Mom. Raleigh, NC 27611-7644 Originally built as a private residence for the family of Dr. John D. Bellamy, a prominent plantation owner, physician, and businessman, the mansion has endured a remarkable series of events throughout its existence. Its construction began in 1857 and was completed the latter part of 1859, or early in 1860. The sons of Dr. John D. Bellamy followed in their fathers footsteps and became successful students and career men in and outside of Wilmington. I never knew. Sign in. The plantation had, beside the manor house. for protection. From a neighboring county he sends in this appeal. Ten Bellamys moved into the big house while nine enslaved workers moved into the outbuildings. PNC has saved nearly 900 endangered historic properties, generating an estimated $500,000,000 in private investment. John and Eliza welcomed four of their own children into the Dock Street home before they moved across the street in 1846 to the former residence of the sixteenth governor, Benjamin Smith. Besides his own activity, he sent. The Bellamy Mansions Slave Quarters are currently undergoing lots of construction in order to restore them for viewing purposes. it still bears. Dr. Bellamy was a secessionist, and he assumed the honor of heading the welcoming committee when Jefferson Davis visited Wilmington in late May. Grovely Plantation was "an almost ten thousand acre" produce plantation on Town Creek in Brunswick County, now a present-day Brunswick Forest development, on which Dr. Bellamy raised livestock and crops such as "wheat, oats, corn, and peanuts." The, two-story porch features Corinthian columns similar to, those at Thalian Hall, and the entry is heavily carved and, set in an arched surround. Mary Elizabeth (Belle) (18401900) would be the first, followed by Marsden (18431909), William James Harriss (18441911), Eliza (Liza) (18451929), Ellen Douglass (18521946), John Dillard Jr. (18541942), George Harriss (18561924), Kate Taylor (1858-1858), Chesley Calhoun (18591881), and Robert Rankin (18611926). Gareth has been Executive Director of the Bellamy Mansion Museum of History and Design Arts for PNC since 2010. in public history, she moved to Atlanta and then to New York. She lives in Raleigh with her husband, daughter, and Scottish Terrier, and still loves exploring all that our state has to offer. The actor and stand-up comedian lives here. She was taught her southern manners and to love beach music from early on. Thomas Wolfe said you cant go home again, but Jack is excited to begin a new chapter in western North Carolina, a place he has often called home. The architecture of Belmont Mansion makes it one of the most significant homes of 19th century Tennessee. My father had to pay severely for this aid and participation, in the so-called Rebellion. Detail-oriented, amusing and assertive, she keeps the ball rolling on so many fronts weve lost track. Cathleen is a graduate of Emory University, with a Masters degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Georgia. In 1860, he had 82 enslaved workers living in 17 "slave cabins" at Grovely, while the family lived in a "comfortable and pleasant" home that was "no stately mansion." At the end of his enlistment in 1862, he returned to studies at, Chapel Hill for half a session, then raised a company of cavalry in Brunswick county for home defense. They are the proud staff of two special needs cats, Patrick and Dexter. Born to a white man who was also his master, he was known to be nominally an enslaved man, but treated as free. It is assumed that it wasn't easy for Eliza Bellamy to be entertained by a "yankee" in her own home, but it has been reported that she behaved as a proper Southern lady, and acted with politeness. The house had sustained extensive damage to its plaster work and much of the original wood had been destroyed. Today the Belmont Mansion Association, which was formed in 1972, owns the collection, runs . On weekends, you will find her driving her Jeep on the beach especially at Fort Fisher, traveling to Raleigh to spend time with her big sister or participating in local vendor shows. Interested in buying an historic property in North Carolina? Early Residence in Wilmington: Shannon lives in Clayton with her husband, two sons, and black labs. Jen Fenninger, Education & Engagement Director, Bellamy Mansion Museum of History & Design Arts. Subscribe to our email list and stay up-to-date with all WDI happenings. Closed due to the war, the college, was composed of two connected buildings, Parsley, moved his family there in 1861 and occupied the, front house. Bellamy Mansion Board of Directors The structure is located at 503 Market Street in Wilmington and on the Web at www.bellamymansion.org [4], Media related to Bellamy Mansion at Wikimedia Commons. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. P.O. (portrait by rocking chair). Confederate Military History, Clement A. Evans, Broadfoot, 1987 In May 1859, Post hired Bunnell to be an assistant architect. A native of Tupelo, Mississippi, Leslie spent many childhood summers vacationing at Wrightsville Beach with family and friends. Jack was selected as the Executive Director of the Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County in 2010 and worked to expand the capacity of the organization in education and on-the-ground preservation advocacy. Plasterers painstakingly recreated the three-coat plaster formula for the walls and ceilings of the slave quarters. It was considered a cosmopolitan port city where men like Dr. John D. Bellamy could advance themselves politically, economically and culturally. Building : Bellamy, John Mansion (Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina) Architect-carpenter: Post, James F., 1818-1899 Contractor: Artis, Elvin, 1820-1886 Architect: Bunnell, Rufus, 1835-1909 Plasterer: Price Family Carpenter: Taylor, Henry, 1823-1891 Plasterer: Gould, William Benjamin, 1837-1923 Carpenter: Howe Family Built: 1859-1860 While not saving old buildings, Cathleen enjoys paddling, sailing, hiking and cooking strange recipes for family and friends. As he had since returned to the north after his duties were completed, draftsman Rufus W. Bunnell had joined the Connecticut regiment of the Union Army.[1]. Chesley went off to Davidson College, caught a virus, and came home to die before his 21st birthday. prominent at the reception; he escorted me across the mall, and introduced me to the President, who put his hand on, my head and said to me, Young man, you will live to be, a good man and make a valiant soldier, I know. The train, departed shortly thereafter, carrying the visitors to, Richmond, where they established the new capital, The town of Wilmington was transformed with colorful, characters during the war, and the most daring were the, blockade runners who brought goods in and out of, Wilmington. though a native of Stewartsville, Richmond county. Hunt, Jr. The Bellamy Mansion Museum is a stewardship property of Preservation North Carolina. Five of the city's 10 doctors fall victim to the fever. Dr. Bellamy hired James F. Post, an architect in Wilmington who had been the supervisor of the construction of Thalian Hall, designed by the renowned John M. Trimble. Tags Around Town With Rhonda Bellamy Culture/Arts Mary Bradley In 2011, when her husbands job opportunities expanded to include North Carolina, memories of those idyllic summers at the beach pulled Leslie and her family to Wilmington. position that the Southern States were never out of the Union, their efforts at secession being unsuccessful, and being, restored to the former status as States of the Union, they, were entitled to representatives not only in Congress, Daughter Ellen Douglas Bellamy captured the Bellamys wartime. This was a hot issue in the gubernatorial election, of 1860, and the workingmans association urged fellow, mechanics and workingmen to look to their own rights and, interests, and to insist on that political equality and that, participation in public affairs to which they, The extensive use of free-black carpenters on the Bellamy Mansion, can probably be attributed to Dr. Bellamy's frugal nature and, directing those engaged to save money; and New Jersey-born, architect James Post's regular hiring of less expensive labor. Always a lover of historic homes, her background in retail management led her to executive support roles and eventually landed her on the doorsteps of Preservation North Carolina in late 2004. nother great-grandchild of John D. and Eliza Bellamy, Robert R. Bellamy II, donated money to purchase the lot adjacent the mansion to create parking. the Parthenon atop the Acropolis in Athens). High walls, sometimes more than a foot thick, surrounded the entire property, forming a compound where workers spent their day. His new, wife unwilling to leave her bereaved mother, young Dr. Bellamy, assumed Dr. Harrisss medical practice in Wilmington and for, many years lived in the Harriss home. The building is now one of the only original, fully restored urban slave quarters open to the public in the country. 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. Understandably, all slaves did not show the ability for skilled, trades and only the most likely were taught a trade. In 1850 white mechanics held rallies, across the State to object to competition from northern workmen, and underpricing from local free blacks. In 1860 this was a construction site. 279-282), (Read more on antebellum free-black and slave labor below), According to daughter Ellen Bellamy, the family moved, their belongings into the new home at 503 Market Street, Bellamy Family History: It was a night to live always in his memory, and of which he was ever afterwards proud!" We had only milk and a barrel of scupperonong wine, made, the summer before at Grovely; when they tasted it and found it, too new and sweet, they pulled out the bung and let every bit, run on the ground.