Talk:Davies Manor

Ellen Davies-Rodgers
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers was a woman of many parts. She taught English at the West Tennessee Normal School (now Univ of Memphis), wrote and published ten books, including a history of the Episcopal church, founded and funded St. Phillip's Episcopal Church, and establishing a private lending library. When the Brunswick cemetery, Pleasant Hill, fell into a state of neglect (its associated church moved away, leaving it orphaned), Mrs. D-R organized and headed a group to clean it up and maintain it, including the fence and gate. When I-40 was being laid out, and the obvious route was going to split her property, did she bow to imminent domain like most citizens and accept pennies to the dollar for her land? No. She negotiated and insisted that the highway department build her a bridge to connect the two parts of her land. For as long as she lived, she decorated her bridge with Christmas wreathes each year, the only interstate bridge so decorated, and the committee continued the practice after her death until they could no longer bear the cost. At a time when women were expected to stay at home and keep house, she earned two degrees (Masters from Columbia University), acted as a principal, professor, administrator up to the state level, county historian, she designed the county flag. How do these things relate to the Manor? Noblesse Oblige. The plantation and its income made these things possible, and she felt obliged to give back. Original research? I can't give you the refs, but these things were all common knowledge around Brunswick 20 years ago, and I'm sure at least some of them can be documented through the Commercial Appeal, the public libraries, the Davies Manor Museum, etc. Ragityman (talk) 22:22, 10 September 2013 (UTC)
 * In revisiting this page, I find many improvements, but some sources are now dead links (footnotes 1 and 2, for starters). I am wondering, since there seems to be no record of the builder, from where the date of 1807 derives? It conveniently predates Memphis, Randolph and Raleigh, but does it have any historical basis.  Mrs. Davies-Rodgers published at least ten books, many on history, and so I am wondering if these might be of use.  Surely if anyone had the ability and motivation to learn it, she'd be the one.  rags (talk) 21:38, 10 January 2018 (UTC)

Origins First Sentence
I'm bringing this to the talk page since it has been reverted and then that was reverted. "Historians don't know who originally built the home..." is the current wording while the reverted version was "The original maker of the Davies Manor is unknown..."

Under WP:CONTRACTIONS that first sentence should be changed. The current wording also places historians as the subject while the second sentence places the original maker as the subject. The article should read with the second sentence. Deflagro (talk) 19:47, 11 September 2013 (UTC)
 * My bad. I really don't like either first sentence, and will try to come up with something better, but I agree that "Historians don't know..." is not ideal.  I wasn't aware of the policy about contractions.  I'll have to watch that with my own sentences.  I don't like it 'cause it sounds to my ear a little too high-school book reportish.  I have to confess that I have not read all of the wiki policies and recommendations, but I will read that one before I tackle another first sentence.  Thank you for your contributions, and particularly for creating this Article.  Miss Ellen and I crossed paths in my youth, and ever since I have kept a weather eye out for mentions of her.  There are many.  I lucked up on one of her books at a library sale: she was working on #11 when she died, age 90.  I may write her article one day, but first I should learn to write a good first sentence.  We could say, "The origins of The Oaks and the Davies Manor are lost in the mists of time..." but that's been used, and anyway, is a mite too dramatic.  Hmm.   If I don't fix it soon, and you want to revert again, I won't object, or revert your revert.  Thank you for all your contribs.  I was never extremely active on en.WP, and now that I'm back, I usually just correct a few typos, spelling/punctuation errors, phrasing, to make "encyclopedic."  Sometimes my ear fails me.  Let me know when I've messed up.  Have fun.  Ragityman (talk) 06:08, 12 September 2013 (UTC)