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PHASE I
In an effort to try to restore the cemetery and provide for the continued maintenance we have
formed an informal group of descendants and friends who are interested in the cemetery and want to see it preserved.
The first order of business is documenting the locations of the graves and repairing the headstones
and replacing them in their original positions. The wall around the cemetery needs some minor work.
I talked to Fletch Coke, the Coordinator of the Davidson County Cemetery Survey organization
to find an appropriate person or firm to do the work. She directed me to Dan Allen. From what I have been able to determine,
he is an excellent choice. Stan Rose tells me that Dan did the restoration of the Murfree Cemetery in Rutherford County and
did an excellent job. There are other examples that one can find on the web by Googling his name.
I have signed a detailed contract with Dan Allen to perform the cemetery restoration.
See the contract below. We will raise the money to pay the $6,500 restoration
costs from interested descendants and friends. The more who contribute, the less we will need from each of us.
Dan will begin this work during July and will complete the work and final report by September. I will post below the contributions as they are received to provide an open record of the income and expenditures.
I will list names or amounts as "anonymous" if requested to do so by the contributor. We would
like to find a way to provide for the continued care and maintenance of the cemetery and will be exploring options.
Below is a list of the contributions and disbursements to date. The first $3,250
was used as a down payment to Dan Allen when I signed the contract authorizing the restoration work on 30 May 2013. An additional $3,250 will be needed
to pay the remainder of the contract when the final report is issued in August or September 2013.
The following checks have been received toward the final $3,250 payment of Dan Allen's contract.
Amounts received in excess of the amount owed Dan Allen will be used for other restoration expenses including, but not limited
to, trimming and removing trees, plaques for graves of Josiah Frederick Williams and his wife Margaret "Peggy" Thomas Philips,
and other miscellaneous expenses. Gerri
Williams was kind enough to auction off a watercolor painting of two barns located on the property once owned by Joseph Philips
and his wife Milbry Horn. Steve Feldhaus won the auction with a bid of $250.
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Milbrey Warner Waller Andrews
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Total Less final check paid to Dan Allen Net as of 13 November 2013
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At his request, I paid Dan Allen one half of the final payment, $1,625, on 7 October.
He received the final payment of $1,625 on 13 November 2013 when his work was complete and his report had been completed.
This left a balance of $1,000 to pay for Phase II restoration work as described below.
The following detailed proposal/contract to restore the Philips' Sylvan Hall Cemetery has been received from Dan S. Allen
& Associates and signed. Dan is well known for Cemetery restoration in middle Tennessee. He describes his Company as
follows:
Dan S. Allen & Associates is a sole proprietorship based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee offering applied archaeological and
historical services to individuals, the private business sector, and state, federal, or local government. Based around a core
of associates with over one hundred years of combined experience in the fields of Archaeology, History, and Historic Preservation,
Dan S. Allen & Associates prides itself in the ability of its principal to put together highly-qualified research teams
from a pool of professional associates and specialists. Our services include all aspects of conventional cultural resources
management: feasibility studies, management plans, archaeological reconnaissance, site testing, mitigation, and monitoring.
Our work is well researched, objective, and intended to facilitate projects by implementing effective approaches. Dan S. Allen
& Associates includes archaeologists, historians, historic preservationists, remote sensing specialists, and a pool of
experienced technicians.
Sylvan Hall (Philips) Cemetery Propandcontract by Larry Feldhaus
PHASE II
Phase II consists of trimming and removing trees, plaques for graves of Josiah Frederick Williams and
his wife Margaret "Peggy" Thomas Philips, as well as any other restoration items that we may run into in the coming months.
Below is a listing of contributions and disbursements for Phase II restoration.
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Total Less $1,400 to Kirby Tree Service 21 April 2014 Net
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The grave markers for Josiah Frederick Williams and his wife Margaret "Peggy" Thomas
Philips were originally table-top markers with inscriptions on top. Today, the tops of these markers are lying flat
on top of the foundation slabs that supported the four legs of the original table-top markers.
In 1931 Jeannette T. Acklen published
her book "Tombstone Inscriptions and Manuscripts, Historical and Biographical, Volume 1, which contained the inscriptions
from the above two table-top grave markers. This is the only record we have of those words which are now lost forever
due to the erosion of the stones.
I wanted to include a permanent marker to reflect who is buried in these two graves and also record
the original inscriptions. I located a source in Indiana that could provide 12" by 8" by 2" marble markers. Josiah's inscription was missing a few words, which I took the liberty of replacing with words that
in my opinion would have been there.
Dana Nixon graciously agreed to fund this purchase and I ordered the two stones in July. I
have now received them and will affix then to the top of the two graves with epoxy sometime during August 2014.
Josiah Frederick Williams grave marker
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