Actress. She was reputed to be the most photographed stage actress of the 1890's. Born to James L. Mingle, Easton's Postmaster and superintendent of the local Telegraph Company, she was raised and educated in Easton, and moved with her family to Philadelphia in 1874 when she was sixteen years old. She began her acting career through the benevolence of John T. Ford, a friend of her father's, and a well known owner of theaters in Baltimore and Washington D.C. Under the stage name of Belle Mackenzie, she began her acting career in a play entitled, "The Mighty Dollar," along with the then-famous, William J. Florence. Throughout the late 1870's her career then blossomed. In 1880, she married English actor, Herbert Marshall Archer, and changed her name to Belle Archer. She then appeared as the leading lady alongside her husband in the play, "The Highest Bidder." Her marriage ended in divorce in 1889. Her acting success continued, however, and she toured extensively with John T. Ford's stock company, appearing in numerous theaters throughout the South; she had two different roles in the stage production of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." She appeared in a play entitled, "Hazel Kirke," which was presented at the Madison Square Theater in New York in 1882, and in Tennyson's "The Foresters," in which she had a leading part. She also appeared in "The Three Musketeers," and "Lord Chumley," in 1888. During this time she became friends with the aspiring actress Maude Adams. One of her most noted roles came in early 1898 when she was chosen to replace actress Caroline Miskle Hoyt, the star of a play entitled, "A Contented Woman." Miss Hoyt had died unexpectedly, and Belle stepped into the role and continued it successfully for another three years. After this time, she also toured across the country to great success. The Easton Daily Express on September 21, 1900 noted, "...her beautiful face and form and the grace and ease of her carriage – captivated her audiences wherever she appeared." In 1899, she engaged a playwright, Forbes Hermans, to write a play with a western theme for her . The result, "Jess of the Bar Z," opened in Syracuse, New York in September 1900 to rave reviews. On Sunday, September 16, 1900, while waiting at the station in Jamestown, New York, she tripped on a broken board on the platform. She apparently fell head first on to the railroad tracks, resulting in serious head injury. She was eventually able to board a train, and by Monday morning she seemed to be recovering. Later that day, however, she took a turn for the worse. By early Tuesday morning she was completely paralyzed on her right side, and by 5:30 am she had lost consciousness. She was taken to an emergency hospital in Warren, Pennsylvania, where she died on the evening of Wednesday, September 19. Her body was first brought to New York City; then transported back to Easton by the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Her coffin was met by Easton Mayor B. Rush Field, who was a friend of the family, he made all the funeral arrangements. Her funeral was held in the chapel at the Easton Cemetery, where the Easton Daily Express noted that she was given "a simple but impressive Episcopal burial service," by the Rev. B.J. Davis, of the Trinity Episcopal Church of Easton, assisted by the Rev. Dr. Otis A. Glazebrook of St. John's Episcopal Church at Elizabeth, NJ. She was buried in the family plot in the north eastern section of Easton Cemetery. Her tombstone is an impressive six foot tall, on its northern side is a bronze plaque with a copy of her favorite portrait.