"Belle Mina is Bibb legacy
May 09, 2007
Brother stepped in when state's first governor died shortly after taking office
By SUZANNE CROW HAGGERTY
For The Times
suzanne.haggerty@gmail.com
Thomas and William Bibb, brothers and the first two governors of Alabama, were instrumental in setting up the foundations of the state's government after its birth in 1819.
Peeking out from behind tall trees and shrubbery just outside Madison in Limestone County is Thomas Bibb's legacy and a regal piece of state history: Belle Mina, a two-story brick mansion built in 1826.
Thomas Bibb became the 22nd state's second governor under tragic circumstances. His older brother, William, was appointed governor of the newly created territory of Alabama by President James Monroe in 1817, and was elected governor of the state of Alabama two years later. William died not long after taking office when he was thrown from his horse. Thomas, as president of the Alabama Senate, was next in line for the governorship.
Thomas served as governor from July 1820 to November 1821. During his term, the state government was formally moved from Huntsville to Cahaba. He did not run for re-election at the end of his term. He also served as director of the Huntsville branch of the Bank of the State of Alabama, according to the Alabama Department of Archives & History.
Both Bibb brothers were born in Virginia and grew up in Georgia. William, a physician, entered politics in the early 1800s, serving in the Georgia House and Senate and the U.S. Congress before his appointment to the Alabama governorship.
Thomas Bibb
Thomas moved to Madison County in 1811, and after heading to the Mississippi territory to become a planter and merchant, he returned to Limestone County, which he represented in the constitutional convention of 1819, the same year he was elected to the state Senate.
Thomas, said to be the largest landowner in North Alabama at the time, built Belle Mina in 1826, and apparently spared no expense.
According to "Alabama Heritage," by Virginia Pounds Brown and Helen Morgan Akens, the mansion featured unique architectural details, including a curving staircase made of cherry wood, and elegant additions such as reeded and fluted mantels.
The plantation's name was originally Belle Manor, but historians say area slaves mispronounced "manor," dropping the "r," and the mispronunciation stuck.
Belle Mina stayed in the Bibb family after the death of Thomas in the 1830s until it was sold in the 1940s. ..."
SOURCE: (
visit link)
********
text of marker:
"Belle Mina
Thomas Bibb built this grand house in 1826 and named it "Belle Manor" (beautiful home) but local pronunciation altered it to "Belle Mina." The home which stayed in the Bibb family until 1940 was the seat of Bibb's large plantation and furnished the name of the small town nearby. The town of Belle Mina developed around a railroad station intended for the nearby town of Mooresville, the residents of which didn't want it built too close to their homes and businesses.
While serving as president of the Alabama senate. Thomas Bibb ascended to the office of Governor when his brother William Wyatt Bibb, then holding that office was accidentally killed in a fall from his horse. William Wyatt Bibb had been Governor of Alabama Territory 1817-1819, and when statehood was granted he became the first Governor of the state of Alabama.
Marker Reverse:
Woodside
"Woodside" another grand house of the Bibb family is located a short distance to the NE across the field. It was built 1860-1861 by Thomas' son Porter Bibb as a wedding present for his daughter, Mary C. who married William F. Eggleston.
The Bibb plantation was but one of many in this area. At the federal land sale held at Huntsville in 1818 wealthy planters from Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia bought large tracts of land and established plantations here. the terrain and soil here were ideally suited for cotton, the crop that could create great wealth. Many brought their household goods, farming gear, and slaves here to begin anew. The grand houses they built, rows of slave cabins, and cotton growing for miles around gave this area the look of "Plantation Alley." Belle Mina and Woodside are privately owned and are not open to the public.
Erected by Limestone County Historical Society Athens/Limestone Tourism Council 2003."