Built between 1828 and 1832, Belle Mont is a foremost example of Jeffersonian Palladian architecture in the Deep South and one of Alabama's first great plantation houses. It was built for Dr. Alexander W. Mitchell, a native of Virginia, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and one of the first large-scale planters and slaveholders in this area. In 1833, Mitchell sold the 1,680-acre plantation to another Virginia native, Isaac Winston, a prominent planter, a strong supporter of the Confederacy, and the uncle of Alabama's first native-born governor, John Anthony Winston. Belle Mont remained in the hands of Winston heirs until 1941. In 1983, the house and 33 surrounding acres were donated to the Alabama Historical Commission. Belle Mont was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1982.

Photo: Sandra Hughes

Photo: Sandra Hughes

Photo: Sandra Hughes

Littleville, Alabama · USA