Bellamy Mansion facts for kids
The Bellamy Mansion, built between 1859 and 1861, is a beautiful old house in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. It mixes different styles like Greek Revival and Italianate. This mansion is one of the best examples of historic antebellum architecture (meaning "before the war") in North Carolina. Today, it's a museum where you can learn about history and design.
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Discovering the Bellamy Mansion's Past
In 1860, Wilmington was North Carolina's biggest city. It was a busy port, important for shipping goods. Dr. John D. Bellamy, a wealthy doctor and businessman, decided to build a grand home here.
This large house has twenty-two rooms. It was built by both skilled enslaved carpenters and free Black artisans. The main architect was James F. Post, with help from Rufus W. Bunnell.
Dr. Bellamy and his wife, Eliza, moved into the mansion in early 1861. They had been married for twenty years and had eight children living with them. Eliza was even expecting their tenth child! Ten Bellamys lived in the big house, while nine enslaved workers lived in separate buildings on the property.
The mansion has seen many important events. Federal troops took it over during the Civil War. It survived a big fire in 1972. Two generations of the Bellamy family lived here. After many years of hard work to fix and preserve it, the Bellamy Mansion is now a museum.
It is cared for by Preservation North Carolina, a group that protects in the state.
Who Were the Bellamy Family?
Dr. John Dillard Bellamy (born 1817) and Eliza McIlhenny Harriss (born 1821) married in 1839. They had ten children over the years.
Dr. Bellamy became a doctor and businessman in Wilmington. He owned large plantations and was involved in other businesses. He was a very wealthy man.
The Bellamy children grew up to be successful. Marsden became a well-known lawyer. William followed his father and grandfather to become a doctor. George became a farmer and later served in the North Carolina Senate. Robert became a successful businessman in the pharmaceutical industry. John Jr. became a United States Congressman. Sadly, Chesley died young while studying at college.
Only one of the Bellamy daughters, Mary Elizabeth (Belle), married and had children. Her sisters, Eliza and Ellen, lived their lives unmarried in the family mansion. Ellen later wrote a book about the mansion's history called Back With the Tide.
In March 1861, the family moved into their new home. They had a big housewarming party. But the American Civil War started the next month, stopping all their parties for four long years.
North Carolina officially left the Union in May 1861. Dr. Bellamy supported leaving the Union. His oldest son, Marsden, joined the Confederate Navy. His younger son, William, joined the Wilmington Rifle Guards.
Enslaved and Paid Workers at the Mansion
When the Bellamys moved into their new home, nine enslaved workers lived in the outbuildings. These workers had important jobs. Guy Nixon was the butler and carriage driver. Tony Bellamy was the caretaker.
Sarah Miller Sampson was a housekeeper and cook. She was given to Eliza and John D. Bellamy when they married. Rosella and six other enslaved women also worked in the home. This included Joan, a wet nurse and nanny for the children. Caroline, Joan’s daughter, was Mrs. Bellamy’s "little maid."
Many enslaved craftsmen, like brick masons, carpenters, and plasterers, were hired by Dr. Bellamy. This was called the "hiring out" system. Enslaved workers would gather at the Market House, and wealthy men would hire them for temporary jobs, often in construction.
Even those who built the mansion joined the war. The architect, James F. Post, joined the Confederate artillery. The draftsman, Rufus W. Bunnell, joined the Union Army.
William B. Gould, an enslaved plasterer, worked for Dr. Bellamy. He escaped from Wilmington in 1862 with other enslaved workers. They rowed a boat to a Union blockade ship. Gould and some others joined the Union navy. Even though it was illegal to teach enslaved people to read and write in North Carolina, Gould kept a detailed diary during the war. This diary is very rare and important. After the war, Gould became a plasterer in Massachusetts. His great-grandson later published his diary as a book.
After the Civil War, Dr. Bellamy used paid workers. Mary Ann Nixon, who had been enslaved, continued to work for the Bellamys as a paid servant. Sarah Sampson, another former enslaved worker, retired and lived with her husband, Aaron, who was a carpenter.
The Mansion's Journey Through History
During the Civil War, the Bellamy family stayed in their new home. But a serious yellow fever sickness spread through Wilmington. The family had to leave and go to their Grovely Plantation for safety.
In January 1865, the family learned that Fort Fisher had fallen to Union troops. This was a big loss for the Confederacy. Wilmington was the last major port supplying the southern states.
While the Bellamys were away, Union officers took over the mansion. It became the headquarters for military staff. General Joseph Roswell Hawley was in charge of the Wilmington District and used the Bellamy House. His wife, Harriet Foote Hawley, a nurse, came to help the wounded.
After the war ended in April 1865, the Federal Government took over southern properties, including Dr. Bellamy's land and home. Dr. Bellamy tried to get his house back, but General Hawley would not let him into Wilmington. Dr. Bellamy had strongly supported leaving the Union.
Mrs. Bellamy went to Wilmington in May 1865 to meet with Mrs. Hawley. She hoped to get their home back. It must have been difficult for Eliza Bellamy to be a guest in her own home, but she acted politely. Eliza was a pro-slavery Confederate, while Harriet was from a family that strongly opposed slavery. Harriet was even a cousin of Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote the famous anti-slavery book Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Dr. Bellamy's process to get his home back took a long time because of his strong political views and his past as a large slaveholder. In the summer of 1865, he asked for a pardon to reclaim his property. By August, he received a presidential pardon from Andrew Johnson for his plantation land and businesses. But the Bellamy House was still under military control.
Eliza wrote that the house was very dirty. She said the basement looked "more like hog pen than anything else." By the end of September 1865, the Bellamy family was finally able to return home.
Dr. Bellamy had to hire freed workers for his businesses and the family home. He also went back to practicing medicine to earn money to pay off debts from building the mansion, the war, and the military occupation. In the early 1870s, Mrs. Bellamy and her daughter Ellen planned a beautiful black iron fence and a garden around the house. This fence and garden are still there today.
Dr. Bellamy passed away in 1896, and Eliza died in 1907. Their daughters, Eliza and Ellen, lived in the mansion for the rest of their lives.
The Mansion's Design and Building
It's not clear where the idea for such a grand house came from. But Belle, the oldest Bellamy child, might have had a hand in it. She liked a similar house in Columbia, South Carolina, and shared her ideas with her father and the draftsman, Rufus W. Bunnell.
Dr. Bellamy hired James F. Post, a Wilmington architect. In May 1859, Post hired Bunnell as his assistant. Henry Taylor, a skilled carpenter, also worked on the house. He was an enslaved man but was treated like a free person.
Drawings for the new home were made in late summer and fall. In October, they started digging the foundation.
By the New Year, most of Bunnell’s drawings were done. Many building supplies, like the large Corinthian columns, were ordered from New York. By March, the main pine frame was up, and the roof was finished. Red brick slave quarters and a small carriage house were also built on the property.
Enslaved workers and free Black artisans showed their amazing skills. They created the beautiful plaster moldings inside the main house and the detailed woodwork throughout all twenty-two rooms.
Dr. Bellamy wanted his home to look classic, but he also wanted modern comforts. The house had running hot and cold water, supplied by a large cistern and pump. It even had gas chandeliers to light the big rooms.
The tin roof was designed to drain water quickly. Because Wilmington gets very hot and humid, Dr. Bellamy wanted the large, door-sized windows on the first floor to open all the way and disappear into the wall. This allowed cool breezes to flow through the house and onto the wraparound porch.
The children's rooms on the top floor didn't have these large windows. So, they had vents that went up to the belvedere at the very top of the mansion. On hot days, the belvedere windows were opened. This created a vacuum effect, naturally cooling the upper floors.
The home also had fancy wood, iron, and metal work, along with beautiful rugs and furniture. Dr. Bellamy wanted his home to be modern and comfortable for his large family.
The Slave Quarters
The restored slave quarters on the property are a rare example of urban slave housing in North Carolina. They are one of the few open to the public. Seven enslaved African American women lived in this building. This included Sarah, the housekeeper and cook; Mary Ann and Joan, who were nurses; and Rosella, a nurse and laundress. Three children also lived there.
Two enslaved men, Guy, the butler and coachman, and Tony, a laborer and handyman, likely lived in small rooms above the carriage house.
The architecture of the slave quarters was very special. The nice brick walls and shutters showed the Bellamy family's high social status. Since these were urban quarters, people could easily see them from the street. Having good-looking slave quarters gave the impression that the family was very important.
There were no windows on the back of the slave quarters. This meant enslaved workers could only look out and see the main house, which was very close. High walls, sometimes over a foot thick, surrounded the entire property. This created a compound where workers spent their day. The design of the complex made enslaved workers focus their activities on the owner and the main house.
After the Civil War, this building became servants' quarters.
Bringing the Mansion Back to Life
In February 1972, Bellamy family members started Bellamy Mansion, Inc. They wanted to begin preserving and restoring the historic home. Sadly, one month later, people set fire to the house. The fire department put out the flames, but much of the inside was badly damaged.
After the fire, Bellamy Mansion, Inc. faced many challenges. The house's plaster and much of the original wood were destroyed. Water used to put out the fire also caused damage. For the next twenty years, more Bellamy family members and volunteers worked to raise money and awareness for the restoration.
Through the 1970s and 1980s, they worked on the outside of the main house and the servants' quarters. In 1989, the group gave the property to the Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina. This made the mansion a public historic site. The necessary inside repairs were finished, and in 1994, the Bellamy Mansion Museum of History and Design Arts officially opened.
Today, the Bellamy Mansion is a busy museum. It focuses on history and design arts. It often has new exhibits and community events, like the annual garden tour during the North Carolina Azalea Festival. In 2001, the carriage house was rebuilt and became the museum’s visitor center and office. The unique slave quarters were fully restored in 2014. They help show the conditions in which enslaved workers lived.
The Bellamy Mansion is a nonprofit organization. Many volunteers from Wilmington help out. They know a lot about the Bellamy family and the house's history. You can take tours at the museum. The mansion is also available for weddings and special events.
Images for kids
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Rear view
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Dr. John Dillard Bellamy.
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The front steps to the Bellamy Mansion
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Gould family
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A photo of the Bellamy Mansion taken from Market Street in 1873
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Bellamy mansion, ca. 1937.
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Elegant fireplace at Bellamy Mansion
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Formal dining table
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One of several gas chandeliers inside the Bellamy Mansion.
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The cistern and washbasin located on the top floor of the Bellamy Mansion.
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The Negro House at the Bellamy Mansion was used, first, by slaves and after the American Civil War by servants.
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Sample food items served at the Bellamy Mansion in 19th century
See also
In Spanish: Bellamy Mansion para niños
