Located in Middletown, Virgina's Belle Grove Plantation is a National Trust Historic Site and legislated partner in Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park. It was the home of Major Isaac Hite and his wife Nelly Madison Hite, sister of President James Madison.

The labor of 270 men, women, and children the Hites enslaved expanded the wheat plantation from 483 to 7,500 acres, established several mills and a distillery, constructed the grand manor house, and managed a busy household of 12 Hite children. In recent years, Belle Grove has identified and shared the stories of 38 of the enslaved individuals, stories of leadership, motherhood, and self-liberation. The site recently marked the 200th anniversary of Isaac Hite’s advertised sale of sixty enslaved people on October 26, 1824, with a conference with nearby Laurel Ridge Community College.

Read about Laise’s background and what projects are coming up at Belle Grove in this short Q&A.

What first inspired your love of history?

Reading—admittedly it started with Little House on the Prairie, but from a young age I was more fascinated by the stories of “real live people” than imaginary ones. That led to a desire to see the places where those people lived and to understand what their lives were like. As a kid, I would have chosen a living history museum over a Star Wars movie any day! To have the privilege to research and uncover previously hidden or forgotten stories is the most rewarding part of my job.

What's your earliest memory of experiencing a historic site?

An early experience was with an imagined historic site, the “Streets of Old Milwaukee” at the Milwaukee Public Museum. I loved how immersive it was—I felt completely transported back in time and loved inspecting every detail of that built space.

When people visit Belle Grove, what do you want them to see, do, and feel while they are there?

Belle Grove is a historic house museum and taking the historic house tour is central activity. We pride ourselves that it is an intimate experience—rooms are not closed off with velvet ropes, there is a chance to be close to artifacts, to feel the space of each room, tours are usually not crowded, there is ample time to converse with the docent, and to hear about the lives of the families that lived there, both free and enslaved. Guests may also tour an exhibit that details the extensive archaeological research that is leading to a much deeper understanding of the enslaved community.

There is also information to take away—such as links to online exhibits and feature stories on 38 of the 270 people enslaved by the Hite family at Belle Grove. With Nelly Madison’s marriage to Isaac Hite, two men, four women, and nine children were deeded to come with her from Montpelier. Eliza, the eldest at 33, was sent with five of her children and became a central figure in Belle Grove’s enslaved community. Stories of self-liberation from Belle Grove, such as Daniel’s, led to Belle Grove becoming a site of Underground Railroad Network of Freedom. Abba and Frank Thornton’s 37-member family history includes the inspiring story of their grandchildren’s freedom. However, there are many more stories of families disrupted, such as Truelove’s.

Ideally, we spark visitors’ curiosity to learn more. The Museum Shop has books about Belle Grove’s history. There is also a network of walking trails along Civil War entrenchment earthworks that is another way to interact with the site in its rural location, as a place of natural beauty, but also as a place of suffering. I would not like to define what people should feel when they visit Belle Grove but hope that we give them the emotional and physical space to open their minds to new information and a little time to slow down to consider their feelings.

What is your favorite part of your site?

The view from the front porch because the Massanutten Mountain is so prominent and indelible. Everyone who visits today admires that view. It makes me wonder what it meant to all the people in history who stood in this place. What did it mean to the Iroquois hunter? The mother held in bondage, who had no hope that she or her children would be free? Or to the Civil War soldier who camped here? What does it mean to stand in their footsteps today?