Our stay in Panama City Beach continues with a lengthy, but fabulous day trip to see some flowers at the “charm spot of the deep south” – Bellingrath Gardens. The home was equally as impressive with original furnishings and lovely views of the Fowl River.

Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
To start at the beginning of this series, visit Seeking the Sun 2023.

Long Way for a Day Trip, but Worth It!

My cousin from New Orleans joined us for a couple of nights, and while we were thinking about things to do, she mentioned Bellingrath Gardens in Theodore, AL. I had never heard of it, and she had been wanting to visit for years. It was quite a trek from PCB, but we decided we would take both cars so she could head back home once our visit was over. I rode with her on the way there, so we could get in some good cousin-time.

It all Started with a Coca-Cola Franchise

Walter Bellingrath worked for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in Montgomery until 1903, when he and his brother purchased Coca-Cola Bottling Company franchises in Montgomery and Mobile. They agreed that Will would manage the Montgomery operation and that Walter (then 34-years old) would come to Mobile, because he loved to fish.

“Walter’s Mobile franchise spanned a 100-mile radius, which he covered single-handedly at first. He worked long hours in and out of his Water Street plant, using a hand- and foot-powered bottling machine that was initially capable of only producing a few cases per hour. After loading his cases in a wagon, he hitched it to his mule and ventured forth, selling Coca-Colas to restaurant owners and shop keepers.” ~ READ MORE

Moving on Up

In November of 1906 Walter married Bessie Mae Morse and in 1917 they purchased “a pair of rough cabins” on 25 acres overlooking the Fowl River. They enlarged one of the cabins to include a second bedroom and the property became known as “Belle Camp.”

The Bellingraths toured Europe for several months in 1927, and were inspired by the beautiful estate gardens. Upon their return, the search began for large established azaleas and camellias along the Gulf Coast to create Bessie’s own garden estate. She often overpaid in an effort to help struggling growers and sellers, and by 1929 Bessie’s were the first along what would become Mobile’s Azalea Trail.

The Bellingrath Home

“The Bellingrath Museum Home was built in 1935 as the Bellingraths’ permanent residence. The 15-room home was built using bricks dating to 1853 and ironwork from the 1870s salvaged from historic structures in Mobile. It is completely furnished with the antiques collected by Mrs. Bellingrath.” ~ READ MORE with more photos

An Additional Line of Work

In 1920 Walter purchased the National Mosaic Tile Company, which produced Adamantile, a line of decorative cement floor tiles, known locally as “Bellingrath tile.” These tiles were used throughout the floors of the kitchen areas and porches on the first floor, and in several landmark buildings in downtown Mobile (the Saenger Theatre and the History Museum of Mobile).

The last two photos below show awards given to Walter Bellingrath by the Coca-Cola Bottling Company when he joined the “Five Hundred Thousand Gallon Club” in 1948 and the “One Million Gallon Club” in 1970.

Dining Room with a View

This was probably my favorite room of the house with the exposed brick and the river right outside the window. We exited this room to the great outdoors and strolled along the river to the pavilion.

A Walk Along the River

Plenty of Blooms, Even in Early March

Walk Around Mirror Lake

“Belle Camp is essentially complete. The Bellingraths invite visiting delegates to a garden club convention to tour their garden. Mr. Bellingrath places an ad in the April 6, 1932 Mobile Register inviting the public to tour their garden on the following afternoon. More than 4,700 people arrive at Belle Camp, creating one of the county’s worst traffic jams, on April 7, 1932. Stunned by the response, the Bellingraths decide to open their Gardens each spring from January through April. Life at their idyllic Fowl River retreat would never be the same.” ~ READ MORE

Lovely Courtyards

There were plenty of places to rest and relax amongst the flowers or in any of the expansive courtyards under the live oaks. You may have noticed quite a few porcelain figurines in the interior photos above. It appears the Bellingraths were pretty fond of porcelain, and the third photo below shows the beautiful garage that was repurposed into a gallery for an extensive porcelain collection donated to the Gardens.

“The Delchamps Gallery of Boehm Porcelain (pronounced “beam”) was originally designed in 1939 as an open six-car garage with guest quarters above. The gallery was created in 1967 to house a collection of Boehm porcelain given to the Gardens from Mobile’s Delchamps family and represents the largest public display of the works of the American sculptor, Edward Marshall Boehm…

Bellingrath is fortunate to house a collection which covers such a broad range of natural and beautiful subjects. Boehm’s birds amidst the branches of realistic flowers are a fitting complement to the Gardens which surround them. As an art form, this collection represents the first successful American hard-paste porcelain.” ~ READ MORE

The Bayou Boardwalk

A Quick Goodbye

If you’d like to find out What’s In Bloom on your visit, click on the link! Our last stop was the Magnolia Café for a quick bite before we went our separate ways. Darlene would be joining us for another day of exploring in New Orleans, so we’ll be seeing her again soon.

Next up: A Day on the Mighty Mississippi

Happy trails,
Barb