Bellamy Mansion

When the Bellamy family moved into their new Wilmington home in February 1861, nine enslaved people lived on the property to serve the household. The five-story mansion had been built by a large workforce, including enslaved craftsmen and free Black artisans. Its elegant façade and broad interior tell a story of wealth, but the labor behind them is part of the building’s history too.

Dr. John D. Bellamy and his wife, Eliza, commissioned the house as their family grew. Construction began in 1859, and the family moved in before North Carolina left the Union. The mansion was designed by Northern-born architects, while local Black carpenters, masons, plasterers, and finishers helped execute the plans. The museum’s research describes Black artisans as central to the construction of the home and its outbuildings.