Belmont Mansion and Bell Tower

Listed on the national register of historic landmarks, the 155-year-old Belmont Mansion is the architectural centerpiece of the campus. The property, then called Belle Monte, was intended to be a summer home escape for Adelicia and Joseph Acklen, one of the wealthiest families in the South at that time. The Acklens built, furnished, and landscaped Belle Monte as one of the most elaborate antebellum homes in the South, and the estate contained an art gallery, conservatories, lavish gardens, aviary, lake and zoo. The Belmont Mansion now serves the university as a social center and is maintained as a historical museum.

Two hundred yards south of the Belmont Mansion stands the historic Bell Tower, which was used as a water tower on the original estate and as a signal tower during the Civil War. The current Bell Tower includes a total of 42 bells weighing more than three tons and is one of only five carillons in the state of Tennessee. The Bell Tower is now captured in the university logo and is honored as the centerpiece of campus.

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Education

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• Belmont
• University