About Us

Belmont Mansion is an Italian villa style house constructed between the years 1849 and 1859. Through the years, it has been the summer home for Nashville socialite Adelicia Acklen and her family, temporary headquarters of the Union army, and a women's college and seminary. One of the most elaborate antebellum homes in the South, the entire Belmont estate was built, furnished, and landscaped by the Acklens and included extensive gardens, an art gallery, a bowling alley, and a zoo.

 

The architecture of Belmont Mansion makes it one of the most significant homes of 19th century Tennessee. Sold by the Acklen family in 1887, the house went to a developer who began one of Nashville’s early suburbs. It was then purchased by two women who in 1890 started a college which evolved into Belmont University.  

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The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The following year, Belmont Mansion Association formed to maintain the house as a museum, own the collection, and share this unique story of 19th century Nashville with visitors from far and near. Operating revenues are generated through admissions, venue rentals, event fundraisers and individual and company donations. 

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Mission Statement:

The Belmont Mansion Association’s mission is to interpret, preserve, and restore Belmont Mansion and the story of those who lived and worked on the estate, including the Acklen and Cheatham families, and the enslaved, free Black and immigrant workers in the context of local, regional, and national history through tours, exhibitions, publications, restored period spaces, and the collecting of original materials.