Bessie Morse Bellingrath (1878 – 1943) was an Alabama philanthropist known for developing the
Bellingrath Gardens and Home, the historic home of Bessie Morse Bellingrath and her husband, Mobile Coca-Cola Company president Walter Bellingrath. Bellingrath is remembered for her work creating the Bellingrath Gardens, as well as her private philanthropy during the depression. She would pay people hundreds of dollars in exchange for a plant in their gardens, an afghan blanket she saw in a shop, or an overpriced antique.
She was an honorary member-at-large of the Garden Clubs of America, and has been inducted into the
Alabama Women's Hall of Fame The Alabama Women's Hall of Fame honors the achievements of women associated with the U.S. state of Alabama. Established in 1970, the first women were inducted the following year. The museum is located in Bean Hall, a former Carnegie Library, on th ...
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Early life
Bellingrath was born Bessie Mae Morse in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
in 1878. Her parents were Sewell and Alice Morse; she was one of nine children in the family. She studied the arts before becoming a stenographer at the Mobile Coca-Cola Company. She went on to marry Walter Duncan Bellingrath (1869–1965), the founder of Mobile's Coca-Cola bottling company. He was a native of Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
and was raised in Castleberry, Alabama
Castleberry is a town in Conecuh County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 486. Castleberry is known as the "Strawberry Capital of Alabama" and is home to the annual Castleberry Strawberry Festival. Castleberry is als ...
. His father Leonhard Bellingrath came from Lennep
Remscheid () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is, after Wuppertal and Solingen, the third-largest municipality in Bergisches Land, being located on the northern edge of the region, on the south side of the Ruhr area.
Remscheid ha ...
, Remscheid
Remscheid () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is, after Wuppertal and Solingen, the third-largest municipality in Bergisches Land, being located on the northern edge of the region, on the south ...
, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
In addition to the bottling plant, Walter D. Bellingrath founded or owned several other companies including a tile company, a steamship company, and a warehousing company. Bessie left her job as a stenographer when she married him in 1906, and turned her attention to cultivating gardens at the couple's South Ann Street home in Mobile. Her love of azaleas in particular became the basis for Mobile's Azalea Trail. She died in 1943. After her death, Walter devoted the rest of his life to developing and expanding the gardens.[
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Home and gardens
Bellingrath bought a riverside property to be used as a fishing hole and named it Belle Camp. He later suggested that she develop the property.[ She planted azaleas and camellias there, and eventually built the property into a large garden with a 15-room Renaissance mansion: the Bellingrath Home.][
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Death and legacy
Bellingrath died in 1943, at the age of 64. In 1950, her husband, Walter, created the Bellingrath-Morse Foundation to maintain the home and gardens and keep them open to the public.[
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellingrath, Bessie Morse
1878 births
1943 deaths
People from Mobile, Alabama
American gardeners