Website: https://belmontmansion.com/
Belmont Mansion is a historic house museum located in Nashville, Tennessee. The property is operated as a nonprofit museum that interprets 19th-century Nashville history, including, in the museum’s words, the experiences of “both free and enslaved individuals.” According to the website, it was the largest house built in Tennessee prior to the Civil War. The mansion is situated in the Belmont neighborhood near Belmont University, with arrival directions pointing to 1907 Belmont Boulevard, across from the Lila D. Bunch Library.
Services
The museum offers a range of visitor experiences and programs described on the website:
- General admission self-guided tours (approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour)
- Guided mansion tours (duration varies by tour type)
- Group and school tours
- A mobile grounds tour
- Events and elopements hosted at the property
- A museum shop with merchandise
- Memberships
- Donation opportunities to support the nonprofit
The website also maintains sections for collections, restoration, history, a blog, and press coverage.
About
According to the history information on the website, construction of the mansion began in 1850 and continued through 1860. It was built in the Italian villa architectural style and contained 36 rooms. The website states the home was built using “the labor of both enslaved Black people and White contractors.” The original estate encompassed approximately 175 acres and included features such as a water tower, a 200-foot greenhouse and conservatory, an art gallery, gazebos, a bowling alley, a bath house, and a zoo. The property was originally named Belle Monte, meaning “Beautiful Mountain.”
The Acklen and Cheatham families lived in the mansion. During the Civil War, the Union Army occupied Nashville in 1862, and in 1864 General Thomas Wood of the 4th Corps occupied Belmont during Confederate efforts to retake the city. Between 1865 and 1887, the estate employed over 30 Black and White workers; the website names gardeners including Henry Gray, Leon Geny, John Harriman, and David McGredy, described as European immigrants.
In 1887, the family sold Belmont to a land development company. In 1890, two women from Philadelphia opened Belmont College for young women on the site. The college merged with Ward Seminary in 1913 and was renamed Ward-Belmont, later becoming present-day Belmont University in 1951. The Belmont Mansion Association was formed as a nonprofit in 1972 to restore and maintain the site.
People
The museum’s website profiles a number of individuals connected to the estate’s history. Adelicia Hayes is described as the center of the family at Belmont Mansion and was married three times. Her first husband, Isaac Franklin, is described on the website as “a slave trader whose wealth made the Belmont estate possible.” Her second husband, Joseph Acklen, is described as “an attorney who oversaw the construction of Belmont and managed the couple’s numerous properties.” Her third husband, William Cheatham, is described as “a doctor and medical reformer who ran the Tennessee Insane Asylum.”
The website also profiles individuals who worked at the estate. Eva Snowden, pictured in a pastel portrait, is described as having “worked for wages for their former enslaver in the post-war period.” Heloise Cenas, a children’s tutor depicted in a Victorian-era portrait, “later operated her own school.” Leon Geny, one of the estate’s gardeners, “started a greenhouse where he grew and sold plants.” These profiles reflect the museum’s stated focus on interpreting the experiences of both free and enslaved individuals associated with the property.
Location & Contact
- Arrival location: 1907 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN 37212 (across from the Lila D. Bunch Library)
- Mailing address: 1900 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN 37212
- Phone: 615-460-5459
Hours (as listed on the website):
- Monday-Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Last admission: 3:30 p.m.; doors close at 4:30 p.m.
- The website notes that holiday hours vary and directs visitors to check the event calendar.
Additional Information
The website includes additional sections for purchasing tickets, planning a visit, upcoming events, group and school tours, a people/biographies section, collections, and the museum’s restoration work. The museum presents itself as both a preserved historic structure and an educational institution focused on 19th-century Nashville history.
Profile compiled from the company’s official website (belmontmansion.com).