User:Maswope/sandbox

Peer Review Response/Instructor Feedback:
The instructor feedback and peer reviews provided instructions regarding minor edit changes in writing and punctuation mistakes. Regarding content, I was able to clarify some of the architectural elements. I did check the Nomination Form for the specific number of bedrooms in the second floor of Federal Hill; however, a number is not listed. I also changed my mistaken title of "Historic Structures Report" to the correct title of Nomination Form for the Register of Historic Places.

Regarding quotations and the reference to sources within my paper, I deleted all but two of these quotations. I elected to keep the two quotations under the historical background as they contribute to the history of Federal Hill, James Steptoe, and Virginia. These quotes phrase the information in a far more concise and accurate manner than I could paraphrase. Also, I did check the wikipedia guidelines but did not locate anything addressing reference to sources within the content. I have seen this done on other wikipedia articles. Additionally, the closest guideline I could locate was to use a consistent reference style within each article. For this reason, I decided to keep the two references within the text.

I also considered moving the last paragraph of my architectural section to the front. While I have not done this, I am open to this change. I left the paragraph at the end, so that the readers would first focus on the Federal Hill home, before moving outward toward the additional structures on the property.

Finally, I fixed the References! I was successful in deleting the outdated reference and completing corrections on some troublesome citations. I also located an additional source on the cemetery; however, this source does not state the current ownership of the cemetery.

Everything that is live on the Federal Hill wikipedia should be accurate, up-to-date information that is both correctly sourced and formatted.

Federal Hill Draft:
Federal Hill is a three part, Palladian-type dwelling constructed in 1782 and located in Campbell County, Virginia. The original owner of Federal Hill, James Steptoe, served as the second clerk of Bedford County from 1772 to 1826. In addition to fifty-four years of service as the Clerk of Bedford County, Steptoe also remained a lifelong friend of Thomas Jefferson. Furthermore, Jefferson's unique, Palladian architectural influence can be observed in Steptoe's Federal Hill. Following Steptoe's death in 1826, Federal Hill continued to be occupied by the Steptoe family until 1850 when it was sold to the Carter Family of Fredericksburg. Today, the structure remains in private ownership as an occupied residence.

Architectural Analysis
Federal Hill's plan is modeled after 18th century Palladian architecture adapted to Virginia's three part house style. The main building consists of a two and a half story, wood-frame, weatherboarded structure with a pedimented gable roof. The main entrance to the structure is located on the west elevation. The entrance consists of the original paneled double doors framed by a two-part architrave trim. Sheltering the main entrance is a two-tier pedimented portico. The present two-tiered, pedimented portico reflects a 1930s rebuilding.

On the first floor, an entry hall and the main stair frame the entrance to the building. The first floor also contains a rear assembly hall, a flanking parlor, and a dining room. The assembly hall is the most elaborate room in the house, featuring a double-paneled wainscot and a molded chair rail. Additionally, the assembly hall is framed by a dentiled cornice that runs the perimeter of the room. The dining room and the parlor also contain similar, elaborate patterns with dentil cornice running the perimeter of the rooms and a Federal-style mantel ornamenting the fireplace. The doors and windows of the lower floor are framed by molded architraves. In 1955-1956, a brick kitchen was added to the structure.

The second floor is lined by two hallways, one running north and south and the other east and west. A myriad of bedrooms is located on the second floor that are simpler in style than the lower level. The hallways and bedchambers are lined with wainscoting topped by molded chair rails.The second-floor mantels have plain architrave and the architrave in the halls are similar to the first floor architraves.

Federal Hill rests on a small hill against the rolling countryside of Campbell county. An early clerk's office remains south of the main house. This building was presumably built by James Steptoe in 1772 following his appointment to the position of county clerk. The physical features of the office are as follows: a one and a half story, wood frame, weatherboarded building covered by a gable roof with an exterior brick chimney laid in Flemish bond with rodded joints. In the 20th century, a smokehouse was added to the property, east of the main building.

Historical Background
James Steptoe was born at Hominy Hall, Westmoreland County, on July 16, 1750. When he was around twenty years old, Steptoe attended the College of William and Mary; at this location, Steptoe became acquainted with Thomas Jefferson. The friendship formed during their college days would grow to last a lifetime. Under Jefferson's influence, Secretary of the Colony Thomas Nelson appointed Steptoe as the second clerk of Bedford Country on January 17, 1772.

Despite Steptoe's appointment, the social conditions and sparsely settled wilderness of Bedford county prompted Steptoe to seek a another appointment to a more settled region. Frederick Johnston explains in Memorials of Old Virginia Clerks that "the population was sparse, and the people plain and generally uneducated—a very different state of society from that which James Steptoe had been accustomed to." For this reason, Steptoe beseeched his friend Jefferson to find him a new position. Jefferson, however, urged Steptoe to remain in Virginia, assuring him that the state would improve and that he would be spending more time in the area (Jefferson had recently purchased Poplar Forest). Steptoe remained in Bedford County and became a respected member of the local community. In 1781, Steptoe married Frances Callaway, the daughter of Col. James Callaway. The Nomination Form to the National Register of Historic Places for Federal Hill reports that "marriage must have made life on the frontier more agreeable to Steptoe, since shortly thereafter he was engaged in building a new dwelling house for his bride." This dwelling would become known as Federal Hill.

The Palladian style of Federal Hill represents a tangible effect of Jefferson's influence on Steptoe. Additionally, Federal Hill is constructed of wood,rather than brick - the material advocated by Jefferson. After their college days, Jefferson and Steptoe continued to correspond through letters for nearly thirty years. Additional evidence of the strong friendship shared between the two gentlemen is contained within a portrait of Steptoe which also displays a portrait of Jefferson in the background. Federal Hill's most distinguished visitor was Thomas Jefferson, who visited the location several times according to their correspondence.

In 1826, James Steptoe died at the age of seventy-six. Federal Hill passes to his eldest son, James C. Steptoe who also succeeded his father as clerk of Bedford County from February 1820 to October 1827. James Steptoe was survived by nine children, five sons and four daughters.

Calloway-Steptoe Cemetery
The property of Federal Hill is also home to the Calloway-Steptoe Cemetery, which serves as the final resting place for several prominent area settlers and their descendants. Col. William Calloway is buried at this location, along with his son-in-law James Steptoe.The plot covers one fourth of an acre of ground and is surrounded by a four foot wall. A large portion of the graves are marked with marble stone.

Article Evaluation:

Federal Hill, Virginia


 * Federal Hill's Wikipedia page is drastically underdeveloped (only three sources and one paragraph)
 * Furthermore, the single paragraph description contains several grammatical errors
 * The citations are not current or active
 * Regarding what I can add, essentially everything.

The talk page is unfortunately bare as well. There is not much to critique because the article is severely lacking.

Potential Sources:

Johnston, Frederick. Memorials of Old Virginia Clerks. Lynchburg, Va.: J. P. Bell Co.,1888.

Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Federal Hill. Forest, VA: Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission, 1982. https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/015-0003_Federal_Hill_1982_Final_Nomination.pdf

Good eval. See my comments regarding sources on the Talk page.dddonald (talk) 13:57, 5 February 2019 (UTC)

Hagerstown, Maryland


 * Great use of hyperlinks and the links in the bibliography work
 * Population/mayor have not been updates since 2017/2016 respectively
 * Lots of conversations on the TALK page regarding photos of Hagerstown
 * TALK page - discussion on whether or not sections should be included

Five qualities of a good article:


 * Detailed lead section: the overview at the start of the article is clear and easy to understand.
 * Clear structure: there are several headings and subheadings arranged chronologically or by themes, with images or diagrams when appropriate.
 * Balanced content: the article covers many aspects of the topic, giving more weight to important viewpoints and less weight to fringe ideas.
 * Neutral tone: the article is written without bias toward a particular point of view, and represents all the different viewpoints that reliable sources have expressed about the topic.
 * Good sourcing: reliable sources are cited throughout the article and as much as possible.

Hagerstown had a healthy detailed overview section.

Great structure and appropriate use of subheadings

very neutral tone

Seven elements of not so great articles:


 * Warning banners: Often these banners make a statement about the article's reliability, though sometimes it's a minor suggestion for improvement. Make a note and read accordingly.
 * Fragmented lead section: A short lead (or one with a lot of mistakes) might indicate that the article was written through staggered contributions and could use a rewrite to tie it together.
 * Value statements: Statements like "the best" or "the most important" are red flags that the article is either written to persuade or isn't well referenced.
 * Gaps in sourcing: Are there references to unnamed sources of information, such as "some people say," or "many believe"? If you can't answer the question, "Who said that?", chances are that a reliable source isn't cited.
 * Under-developed reference section, few citations: There should be a good number of citations, relative to how much information is included in the article. Those citations should be from reliable publishers, not questionable websites or publishers who might like to push an agenda.
 * Imbalanced sections: Sections about an important aspect of the topic shouldn't be shorter than sections about a less important aspect. This sort of imbalance might mean relevant sections are missing entirely.

I would say the only problems with Hagerstown's Wikipedia page are some smaller sections which could be added upon. Also, additional sourcing would ensure credibility to the article. ~


 * Good evaluation!dddonald (talk) 15:05, 31 January 2019 (UTC)