​In September, Hurricane Florence descended on North Carolina’s southeastern shore. The storm battered the Wilmington area including the historic downtown. The Bellamy Mansion Museum was one of the many historical homes that sustained significant damage.

The mansion’s roof, which had just been through repairs two weeks before the hurricane, suffered the most damage. A large portion of the roof peeled away during the height of the storm, allowing rain to pour into all five levels of the mansion.

The water soaked into the plaster walls and caused extensive damage, softening the plaster and producing conditions ripe for mold growth. The water also soaked into the plaster’s wood lathe structure, causing the wood to swell and the subsequent movement to shift and crack the plaster.

It was March 31, 1952, when Emmett Hargrove Bellamy and his assistant, Lloyd S. Elkins, boarded the seventh-floor elevator of the Charlotte Law Building in Charlotte, North Carolina. Suddenly, a gunman, later identified as Albert Raymond Reinhart, 50, stormed the elevator and opened fire using a .38 caliber revolver. Elkins was injured in the shooting, but Bellamy was killed from a gunshot wound to the stomach. Bellamy was 61 years of age and Elkins, just 25.
 
Emmett H. Bellamy was born in Wilmington on February 12, 1891, to John Dillard Bellamy, Jr. and Emma May Hargrove. Bellamy attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received his law degree from Columbia University. Additionally, Bellamy served in the military during World War I and was honorably discharged with the rank of First Lieutenant.

Upon his retirement from the military, Bellamy practiced with his father’s law firm, John D. Bellamy & Sons, based out of Wilmington. In addition to his work as a lawyer, Bellamy was a prominent political figure in North Carolina. The Democratic lawyer was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1921 and to the Senate in 1923. Bellamy also served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from 1940 to 1944.
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At the time of his murder, Bellamy had retired from politics and was practicing law in Charlotte. During police questioning, Bellamy's murderer, Albert Reinhart, was quoted as saying he was “incensed” at Bellamy over the handling of his case. Reinhart, a hotel owner from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, traveled to Charlotte to "show down" with Bellamy regarding the real estate deal in which he believed Bellamy had "taken advantage of" his elderly mother.

During the preliminary hearing, Reinhart made an insanity plea, but was ruled sane enough to stand trial upon examination by two Duke University doctors. In addition to a murder charge against him, Bellamy's assistant who was wounded in the shooting, filed a $100,000 damage suit against Reinhart. Reinhart was eventually found guilty of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

Emmett Bellamy is buried alongside his wife, Lillian Frances Maxwell, in Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington, North Carolina.

http://politicalgraveyard.com/families/19514.html
http://cdm16072.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16072coll5/id/334/
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Written by Bellamy Mansion intern and UNCW English major, Sydney Simmons

​When people tour the Bellamy Mansion, one of the first things they notice when they enter the house is the elaborate plaster moldings in the more public parts of the house. The house, designed with Greek Revival and Italianate styling, was the product of the hard work and labor of  both enslaved skilled carpenters, and local, freed black artisans.

The skilled and unskilled enslaved workers in Wilmington were hired out and whatever wages they earned were given directly back to their masters. Unfortunately, we do not know the names of all of the black artisans who worked on the house. We do, however, know a great deal about one of these men thanks to his journal and the extensive work of his great-grandson, William B.
​ Gould IV. 

William B. Gould was born November 18th, 1837, to an English man and a slave woman in Wilmington, North Carolina. He was owned by Nicholas Nixon, who was a successful peanut planter and prominent member of the Wilmington Community. Around 1859, Gould began his work as plasterer and mason under the employment of Dr. John D. Bellamy for the construction of the Bellamy Mansion. Alongside other slaves and freeman, Gould created beautiful works of art within the molding of the house.

It was common practice for those who hired out slaves to clothe, feed, and shelter them for their duration of their work. So, it is more than likely that Gould resided in the slave quarters during his time at the Bellamy Mansion. As a credit to his hard work, Gould signed his name into the plaster of the house; forever cementing his place in the Bellamy Mansion’s history (pictured above). This is incredibly significant, because following a series of laws passed in 1830 it was declared illegal to teach slaves how to read or write in the state of North Carolina. It is probable that Gould learned how to read through the church. Nixon was Episcopal and they were notorious for looking the other way when it came to slave literacy. Peter Hinks writes, "perhaps the most common avenue to literacy for blacks was instruction by a white person who considered it their religious duty to teach their slaves how to read Scripture (2). Christopher Hager supports this claim, saying, "many slaveholders wished to make exceptions [to slave literacy laws] for religious instruction (usually by white preachers)" (114). 
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On September 21st, 1862, Gould, and seven other men, escaped off of Orange Street and into the Cape Fear River. Six days later they were picked up by The USS Cambridge and recorded as “contraband of war.” Gould began his three-year journal on September 27th, 1862, following his daily life in the United States Navy. After the Civil war he settled in Dedham, Massachusetts with his wife, Cornelia Read, and had eight children, six boys and two girls. He joined the Grand Army of the Republic in 1882 and held almost every position possible including the highest position, Commander. William B Gould IV, Gould’s great-grandson, wrote a book that includes Gould’s journals called Diary of a Contraband: The Civil War Passage of a Black Sailor. In this book he writes about the history surrounding his great-grandfather’s life and discusses the chronology of Gould’s diary. 

Gould IV, William B. Diary of a Contraband: The Civil War Passage of a Black Sailor. Standford University Press, 2002. 
Hager, Christopher. Word by Word: Emancipation and the Act of Writing. Harvard University Press, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uncw/detail.action?docID+3301209.
Hinks, Peter P. To awaken my afflicted brethren: David Walker and the problem of antebellum slave resistance. Penn State Press, 2010.

Written by Bellamy Intern and UNCW English major Moriah Yancey

With over 200 volunteers, the Bellamy Mansion Museum is able to operate daily. From conducting tours to working the cash register, the work the volunteers do at the Bellamy cannot be understated.
This month, we're shining the light on Angie Yelverton. Angie, along with her Rise and Shine group, have been volunteering at the Bellamy for 5 years. On the first Monday of each month, Angie and her crew make their way to the Bellamy and give it a cleaning from the inside out. Earlier this month, Angie spoke out about about her mission here at the Bellamy and what the Rise and Shine group has in store for the future. 
​Angie, a Virginia native and Virginia Tech alum, has been living in Wilmington for roughly 33 years. Angie says her desire to volunteer at the Bellamy Mansion arose when she kept driving by the home everyday, not knowing much about it, but wanting to get involved somehow. Angie's idea to create a volunteer group to clean the mansion came about when she spotted some dust on a banister as she was helping take town Christmas decorations, following the Bellamy's annual Christmas Stroll. And thus, the Rise and Shine group was born.
From roughly 9AM until noon, the Rise and Shine group, normally consisting of 6 to 8 people, get right to work cleaning the mansion. Even with a decent sized group, the Bellamy is no quick, in-and-out cleaning job. According to Angie, the most difficult and time consuming sections of the mansion to clean are the downstairs and basement.

   In Waterloo, New York, tucked along the Cayuga Seneca Canal, lies the American Civil War Memorial. The Memorial, constructed in 2008 by sculptor and author Pietro del Fabro, serves to honor the sacrifices made by citizens of Waterloo as well as both Union and Confederate soldiers and sailors that lost their lives during one of America’s most arduous times- the American Civil War.  
 
   The North South Cenotaph features stones from each of the 36 states that were in existence at the end of the Civil War. ​Pietro used a handmade hearth brick from the Bellamy slave quarters to represent the state of North Carolina in the memorial. The Cenotaph pictured above rests on a base of Indiana silver buff limestone. The brick from the Bellamy is located on the top south side of the cenotaph. What an amazing way for history to be displayed! We were lucky enough to be paid a visit by del Fabro himself in 2016, who was excited to photograph where the brick came from. Be sure to follow the link to the Memorial’s website and read the description of the Bellamy brick: 
http://americancivilwarmemorial.com/NSCenotaph.html .
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​   Pietro del Fabro authored a Civil War novel Savages Station that follows three stories that move back and forth between Civil War times and present-day America, opening up little-known aspects of the conflict and revealing new viewpoints into the major and minor characters of the era. You can follow a link to the book’s website here: https://savagesstation.com/ . 

Written by Bellamy intern and UNCW Communication Studies major Savannah Russell.

The bottles, branded with the Bellamy name, are from Robert Bellamy’s Bellamy and Son Drug Company here in town. The business, began in 1885, was located at the corner of Front and Market Street, and operated until its sale by Robert’s grandson sometime after 1950.

While some of the bottles are missing their labels, a few remain which provide insight into some of the popular medicines of the time: quinine, cathartic pills, Godfrey’s Cordial, and white pine compound syrup.

​These are just four examples of the many interesting drugs Robert sold in his pharmacy; just like today, there were a variety of medicines available for nearly any conceivable ailment – though whether or not they were all safe for human consumption is another question. In any case, Robert “[devoted] his closest and constant personal attention to the details of his enterprise” and was regarded as one of the most prominent and successful physicians in Wilmington during his working years.

Researched and written by Bellamy intern and UNCW Professional Writing/Philosophy major Chantai Thomas.

​     Volunteering is a gift that keeps on giving. Here at the Bellamy, we thrive thanks to our dedicated staff of over 200 volunteers. Volunteer tasks range from giving guided tours, greeting visitors at the front desk, lending a hand with special events, and even gardening. We love to see the passion our volunteers have for what they do, and one person who brings this passion to life is Beth Mentesana!
     Beth has been lending her time here at the Bellamy since she and her husband moved from Pennsylvania five years ago. Before their move, working full time in the communications field and being married to a college basketball coach didn’t leave her much time to volunteer. She grew up watching her parents be very active in their community and her mother was even a docent (a tour guide) at a Revolutionary War house in New York. Beth decided she wanted to try her hand at volunteering herself when she moved to Wilmington and had a little more time on her hands. She says, “Everyone falls in love with downtown, and at some point, you become aware of the historic houses here.” Beth is a docent on weekends and she especially loves when there are children present. She reflects on giving tours: “Thanks to all the information we have, you can really paint a story on true facts and there’s something about that- it’s like you transport yourself back in time. I get so engrossed in the whole thing it doesn’t matter if anybody’s there or not! That’s the fun of it.” She also lends her talents in taking part in composing and editing our volunteer newsletters that are sent out via email every week. She enjoys featuring topics that vary from the architecture of the house to the stories of the Bellamy’s and the slaves that called this place home.
     One of Beth’s favorite memories is when she helped with the fifth-grade pilot program where fifth graders from across New Hanover County are cycled through and given tours. It’s very important to Beth that children get the opportunity to see history unfold before them. “The story of the back of the house is as important as the house itself and the family that lived in it. For children, I think they might learn about it in a textbook but when they come here and they hear it, it helps bring it alive for them. It’s critical these young minds see what happened in this country” she shares. She appreciates the freedom she has while volunteering at the Bellamy and how relaxed and comfortable the environment is. She loves that she can come here to give a tour and be whoever she wants to be. She also loves dressing up for the annual Christmas stroll. Check out one of her outfits from years past in the fun picture down below! If Beth could meet one of the Bellamy’s, she would have to choose Ellen. The stories in Ellen’s memoirs of her spirited antics as a little girl are something Beth would love to have seen. We are so thankful for Beth and all she contributes and so happy that she has such a love for what she gets out of volunteering.
     We are always looking for volunteers to add to our family! Check out the volunteer form on our website, give us a call, or stop by and get your part of the gift that keeps on giving! 
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Written by Bellamy intern and UNCW Communication Studies major Savannah Russell.

A fungus is among us! Our beloved Ficus carica, more commonly referred to as the Brown Turkey fig, has been stricken by a case of fig rust. This fungus is “the most common fig disease”, and more often than not occurs in “late summer or early fall”, when “humid air or excessive rain” are present (Rhoades, 2018). Our tree just recently acquired rust after the bumper crop this year. We received excessive rainfall here in Wilmington towards the end of the summer; this, coupled with the fact that the flora was very dense and had little to no air circulation due to an abundance of leaves and fruit (the tree produced three times its usual amount of fruit this season!), definitely contributed to our Ficus carica acquiring the fungus. In general the disease is “not fatal, but repeated epidemics will weaken the plant” (Polomski, 2012).

​At first fig rust is difficult to detect, and this is primarily due to the fact that “the first signs of fig rust” are “tiny yellow spots” that appear “the underside of the leaves” (Rhoades, 2018). Typically, these spots are initially “only .5 to 1 centimeters across”, so they are very hard to see (Rhoades, 2018)! However, as the fungus progresses, the entirety of the leaf will turn yellow and eventually “fall to the ground” (Rhoades, 2018).

​After our tree lost almost all of its leaves an interesting phenomena occurred: a “false spring” effect. As alluded to previously, our tree had a bountiful harvest this year, and that is primarily due to the extra fertilizer that was used to rid the area of ground bees. We didn't want to kill the bees or use chemicals, so in an effort to combat this, our resourceful site manager found that a combination of watering out the bees’ holes and adding plenty of organic material (in our case we used Black Kow, a cow manure mixture) caused the bees to move away and find a new home. However, because the fig rust caused the tree to shed the majority of its leaves and the weather had been fairly warm, the tree had an abundance of excess energy. Ultimately, the flora utilized this energy surplus to create more buds which resulted in new leaves and fruit, causing a “spring” appearance despite the current season. Unfortunately, however, the new leaves also showed signs of rust so several of our wonderful garden club members trimmed those leaves off, leaving just the unaffected ones.

​​Treatment of the disease can be difficult (Rhoades, 2018). In actuality, “there are very few fungicides that are registered to use on figs”, but the rust “responds best to fungicides that contain copper sulfate and lime” (Rhoades, 2018). In addition, pruning can “help improve air circulation”, which in turn “allows the evaporation of excess water from the leaves of the figs” (Rhoades, 2018). With “proper cleanup and good air circulation,” as well as a “spray regiment” of horticulture oil, it is unlikely that the fig rust will reoccur; and we are sure our Ficus carica will make a full recovery by next season (Rhoades, 2018)! 

​Interested in the Brown Turkey fig? Take a look at our post to learn all about it!  

References
Polomski, B. (2012). Fig. Retrieved from
https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/fig/.
Rhoades, J. (2018). Prevent fig rust: Stopping rust on fig leaves and fruit. Retrieved from
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/figs/figs-disease-rust.htm.

​Upon pulling into the Bellamy Mansion parking lot one of the first flora you’re greeted with is the Ficus pumila, more often referred to as “creeping fig” or “climbing fig” (Rhoades, 2018). Ficus pumila is a type of evergreen, meaning that it maintains both its heart-shaped leaves and color all year, regardless of the weather (Creeping fig, n.d.). 

Despite being visually understated, the vine does serve as a popular cover “wall or fence cover” (Rhoades, 2018). Here at the Bellamy we utilize the flora to protect the wall between the property’s urban slave quarters and the gravel parking lot. Our plant grows at a rapid rate, and because of this we often find the vine latched onto the slave quarters’ exterior. Because of this, many of our gardening volunteers have to trim the vine off of the building fairly often; otherwise the creeping fig leaves marks on the building’s newly restored paint (as seen in this photo)!

Show the Ficus pumila some love and learn more about it at Gardening Know How's site! 

References
Creeping fig. (n.d.) Retrieved from
​ http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1261/creeping-fig/. 
Rhoades, H. (2018). Creeping fig plant – Tips for creeping fig care. Retrieved from
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/foliage/creeping-fig/creeping-fig-vine.htm. 
 

​Here at the Bellamy Mansion we are incredibly fortunate to work with several talented and thoughtful volunteers who, alongside our fantastic site manager Bob, tend to the gardens and grounds of the estate. One such individual is Ann. After hearing about us from a close friend, she has spent the past year dedicating every other Wednesday to trimming, planting, and watering all the flora here at the mansion. A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Ann attended college at Duke University, majoring in psychology while simultaneously minoring in anthropology. She now resides in Pender County, where she spends a fair amount of time taking care of her own garden. 

​Ann says that she has always had an affinity for plants, and that even when she was a young girl she was fascinated by all things horticulture. She attributes her love of flora to her natural desire to be nurturing and caring. She kept a few potted plants with her during her time at Duke, but Ann’s passion for gardening really blossomed following her graduation, and she hasn’t stopped since then! And while she thoroughly enjoys any and all plant life, Ann claims that one of her favorite flora is the gaura because “the flowers they produce look like butterflies”. 

Aside from gardening, one of Ann’s preferred pastimes is reading. She is especially fond of learning about distant cultures and other countries. Ann is also an avid fan of Harry Potter, and she is extremely excited to read the eighth installment of the series, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which recently came out this summer.

                                              Thank you so much for all you do Ann! 

Interested in volunteering at the Bellamy like Ann? We have volunteer opportunities here at the Bellamy ranging from gardening to giving guided tours and we would absolutely love to have you! Please check our volunteer interest form for more information!