Bellamy Mansion - Turbulence and Grace Traditional Cache
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Cache appears to be gone or unmaintained. If the cache owner decides to replace or repair this, it can easily be unarchived if it still meets the current guidelines. ([URL=http://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx]visit link[/URL]).
Please contact me through my profile with the GC# in question.
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Bellamy Mansion - Turbulence and Grace
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A regular-sized cache hidden at historic Bellamy Mansion!
You are welcome to search for this cache any day between the
hours of 9am-5pm. Please respect the wishes of the owners and
caretakers here and limit your searches to these times. The nature
of the cache's hiding place makes for spotty GPS reception, so
here's some extra help to keep you on track - very near the
coordinates, there is an area where one can descend. Do so, and
look underneath. There's no need to check any of the landscape
features in the garden.
If you see any volunteers or staff while you're here, be sure to
thank them for their interest in sharing the history of this
magnificent place with the geocaching community!
Welcome to Bellamy Mansion! Built between 1859 and 1861 for the
family of Dr. John D. Bellamy, the Bellamy Mansion is one of
Wilmington’s most recognizable architectural and historic
landmarks. The structure, featuring an extravagant blend of Greek
Revival and Italianate styling, boasts twenty-two rooms, a
three-story portico supported by fourteen Corinthian columns,
richly-detailed cornice, wood, and plaster work, beautiful gardens
designed by Mrs. Bellamy herself, and a functional belvedere that
serves to ventilate the home during the warmer months. Behind the
main house, slaves’ quarters and a small carriage house were
constructed of red brick. All structures on-site were built with
the labor of both enslaved carpenters and local freed black
artisans.
While the Bellamy Mansion is certainly notable for it breathtaking
architecture and ornate formal garden, it is the history that this
structure has seen, experienced, and survived that make it truly
outstanding. Mere months after moving into their new home, the
Bellamy family fled inland in 1862 – a yellow fever epidemic
had begun to spread throughout Wilmington and would eventually
claim well over 600 local lives. The Bellamy family returned to
their home once the epidemic subsided but, with the Civil War
raging and nearby Fort Fisher under continued attack, concerns over
Union invasion prompted them to flee again.
In February of 1865 Fort Fisher fell and Federal troops arrived in
Wilmington. The Bellamy family had already fled the city, and their
home was commandeered by Union officers – it soon served as
headquarters for staff members of the Union Army, as well as 400
troops. Despite repeated requests, social visits, and even a
Presidential pardon, it took nearly a year for the Bellamys to be
able to return to Wilmington and reclaim their home.
In subsequent years several generations of the Bellamy family would
live out their days in the home. With the intent of repurposing the
mansion as a museum, fouth generation members of the family started
a nonprofit group for the preservation and upkeep of the property
in February of 1972, and the future of the mansion seemed secure.
One month later, arsonists struck. While the structure itself
survived, the amount of damage done by the fire was so significant
that it would take twenty years for serious restoration efforts to
get started. In 1992 the Bellamy Mansion Museum, now a stewardhsip
property of Preservation North Carolina, opened to the
public.
Yellow fever, Civil War, Union occupation, arson, restoration, and
now a premier landmark in Wilmington’s historic district
– imagine the tales that these four walls could tell! As you
enjoy the views of the architecture and gardens here, just think -
isn’t it amazing that the Bellamy’s home survived such
turbulence with such grace?
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Qrfpraq naq ybbx haqrearngu!
Treasures
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