It is easy to forget that Adelicia and her family where not the only ones who lived at Belmont Mansion. According to the 1860 census, 32 slaves between the ages of 45 and 1 were at Belmont. However, the estate was also home to numerous employees who worked as overseers, gardeners, housekeepers, and even tutors for the children. Recently our director, Mark Brown, visited Mt. Olivet Cemetery to take some photos of the Acklen masoleum where several family members including, Adelicia herself, are buried. However, while there he also located the graves of three former Belmont employees including Valentine Fischer, Leon Geny, and Henry Gray. Valentine Fischer was originally from Germany. His family was into bee-keeping and gardening. He immigrated to the US in 1857 but did not come to Belmont as a gardener until 1880. It is unclear when he left Belmont but by 1892 he is listed in a Nashville city directory as a florist. Valentine died on November 7, 1900. Since he never married he left estate to several nieces and nephews, including one that was still living in Germany. Leon Geny was originally from France. According to family tradition, Leon and his brother came to Nashville specifically to design Belmont’s gardens. In 1874 he and his wife bought five acres of land near Belmont for $2,500 and grew plants and flowers which they sold at the farmer’s market in Nashville. He died on January 24, 1878. However, Nashville city directories into the 20th century continue to list a Leon Geny (probably a nephew) as a gardener and florist. There is still a florist shop in Nashville today which traces its history back to Leon Geny. Henry Gray was originally from England. Over the years he was employed not only at Belmont, but at the Tennessee Insane Asylum and Edgefield Nursery (where he was a partner with William Heaver). He also worked as a florist and a grocer. He died November 4, 1916. For more information about these men, other estate employees, or slavery at Belmont, check out the History page on our website and the tabs titled Slavery at Belmont or Estate Employees.

After months of drawing, sketching, resizing, and revising, patterns of vines and flowers are finally going up on the atmospheric ceiling mural in the Central Parlor at Belmont Mansion. From this 19th century photograph it is easy to see the pattern on the ceiling, but it is too small and grainy for us to get very specific details from it. Taking the basic overall design from this photo, local artist Phil Carroll, from the company Flying Colors, created a pattern using many of the flowers Adelicia grew here at Belmont including bleeding hearts, fuchsias, morning glories, and Cherokee roses intermixed with grape and ivy leaves. In this photo, Phil is completing the painstaking process of transferring his design onto the ceiling. Rather than sketch it out by hand (which he has already done on paper), he is taping his drawings to the ceiling with a piece of transfer paper between the plaster and the drawing. Transfer, or carbon paper will leave a mark on the surface beneath it when pressure is applied to it. So, as Phil traces the lines in his drawings, an outline appears on the ceiling underneath, which will then be used to paint the pattern. He is also using a red pencil to trace with, that way he can see which parts of the design he has already completed. According to our curator, Jerry Trescott, this painting style including flowers, vines, and open sky is called a trompe l’oeil, or optical illusion. The idea was to make visitors feel as if they were in an open courtyard (reminiscent of ancient Roman palazzos) instead of an indoor parlor. Phil started the stenciling process a couple weeks ago. Since then he has painted purple shadows around the vines and now some green is going up on the leaves as well. Stay tuned. We can't wait to see the colorful flowers added in the mix. Meanwhile we hope Phil doesn’t get too much of a kink in his neck.

Most days when Belmont Mansion’s doorbell rings, a visitor is at the door, curious to learn more about Adelicia Acklen, her home, and Nashville history. Yesterday morning, however, Hayes Acklen Noel, one of Adelicia’s descendants, visited us, bringing with him a 2.5” x 3.125” original artifact that he found in his grandmother’s attic. It was a cabinet miniature of Joseph Hayes Acklen, Adelicia’s son. Thanks to a ledger entry from the studio of artist we have known of this objects existence. What we did not know is what happened to it. According to the spidery handwriting on the back of the miniature it was "painted by John W. Dodge Nashville Tenn. finished Nov. 9th 1852. ____ of Joseph for J. A. S. Acklen $75.00." Originally from New York, John Wood Dodge had no formal art education, but he was still well known for his miniatures. His studio in Nashville was open from 1838 until the Civil War, when his loyalty to the Union prompted him to return to New York. For more information on his accomplishments, check out his biography on the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery’s website - http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artist/?id=1293 . After adjusting for 163 years of inflation, the miniature would cost over $2,000 in today’s dollars. According to the ledger, a miniature of Adelicia was commissioned at the same time as the one of her son. However, Adelicia’s was a bit more expensive, with a purchase price of $125 (that’s over $3,000 in today’s dollars). And you probably thought getting a professional family portrait taken was expensive! This miniature of Adelicia, as well as one of her second husband (also by Dodge) are still in the family today. We are very grateful to Hayes Acklen Noel for his donation to Belmont Mansion. And for the rest of us, it may be time to clean out those attics and see what family treasures might need rescuing from the dust bunnies.

After nearly ten months of restoration, we are thrilled to announce the Library is now reopen for tours! Over the past ten months, nearly every surface of the room has undergone restoration. The ceiling underwent extensive paint analysis that allowed for the reproduction of the original mural. All window and door frames were faux-grained to mimic oak and period reproduciton wallpaper has been installed. We are overjoyed at the result of this tremendous project and are thankful to all those who made this restoration possible.

It is an exciting day at Belmont Mansion, wallpaper installation has begun in the Library! The Library restoration project began in January 2014 with paint analysis on the ceiling, which reveal traces of the original mural design. In early summer, a decorative painted worked tirelessly to recreate the look of Adelicia's ceiling. Beginning in late summer, all of the wood door and window frames were painted using an elaborate faux graining technique. We have now entered into the last stage of the process; the period reproduction wallpaper is being installed. The reproduction wallpaper arrived at Belmont Mansion in 27" wide strips, the modern day standard for wallpaper patterns. Since we are working with an historic pattern, the pattern is only 18" wide, the Victorian era standard. The team of installers are first cutting each strip to 18", then applying wallpaper paste before allowing the paste to settle for five minutes. After the paper and paste have settled, the wallpaper is installed creating the beautiful look seen below. This wallpaper is one of the final stages of this large scale restoration of the Library, we are eager to reveal the newly restored room in its entirety!

We recently moved forward with a small project to freshen the look and staging of our family Dining Room. Since we are still in the midst of a major restoration in the neighboring Library, it is not feasible commit to a large restoraiton of the room. Rather we chose to freshen the paint colors, restage the table and add interesting period details to the room The room received a fresh coat of sage green paint, which reseach has shown was the most popular color recommended for dining rooms in the 1850s and 1860s. All of the wood work would have been faux grained, since that requires major investment and time, we chose to apply a fresh coat of ochre yellow to the doors, window sash and architraves because this would have been the base color of the faux graining in the room. The dining room table is now partially set and piles of dishes are placed across the table as if the servants are in the middle of setting thet able for the upcoming meal. Two recently aquired portraits - one of Oliver Bliss Hayes and Sarah Hightower Hayes (Adelicia's parents) - now hang one wall of the room. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this minor freshening is the garden window. Through the French doors, the Acklens would have had a breathtaking view of the lavish estate and this window anticipates that view. The inspiration for the garden window came from an 1869 book entitled The American Woman's Home by Catherine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

In January 2014, we began the restoration of Belmont Mansion's Library. Restoration work began with several days of paint analysis on the ceiling which revealed the original paints colors and mural design. Decorative painters have been hard at work, recreating every last detail of Adelicia's elaborate ceiling design. In addition to reproducing the original ceiling mural, we are reproducing the origial faux graining on all door and window frames in the room. This meticulous work has taken over two weeks to compelte because each line, swirl and accent is done by hand. It is a true work of art, and we are delighted at how it will enhance the beauty of Adelicia's Library.