Talk:Stephens City, Virginia/GA2

GA Review

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Reviewer: Xtzou (Talk) 20:56, 31 May 2010 (UTC) Hi, I am reviewing this article and will be adding my comments below. Also, I am doing some copy editing and please feel free to revert any errors I may introduce.

General comments

• According to WP:Overlinking, it is not desirable to link to common terms or places that an English-speaking reader can be expected to know. Too many links decrease the value of the important and informational links in the article.  Done
• I notice that the article has many very short paragraphs. It is desirable to combine many of these paragraphs to increase the fluidity of the prose and decrease "choppiness".  Done
• There are two dead links according to the toolserver.[1] One of these can be replace can be replace by a Web Archive link (ref 42). http://web.archive.org/web/19960101-re_/http://www.user.shentel.net/ccrkcr/drivein.html Ref 2 is a 404 error and will need to be replaced.  Done
• There are two wikilinks that need disambiguation.[2]  Done

Lead

• In general, it is not necessary to have references in the lead, since everything in the lead is from the body of the article and can be referenced there. Per WP:Lead, the lead is to be a concise summary of the article.  Done
• I stuck a little more into the lead, and I think a little more could go in, say about the history, geography, etc. Give a little snapshot of the article.  Done

Founding and early days

• You might explain more about the Ironclad oath, and any more info you have on the town's role in the Civil War.  Done

20th Century to present

• "The 20th Century brought improvements to energy and domestic systems." - I'm not clear what a "domestic system" is.  Done
• "Stephens City is now an exurban community for commuters who work in major urban centers." Some context could be provided here, such as what major urban centers the town serves as an "exurban community". From the map, it is not clear what urban centers it is near. (ok, I see it is added below.)  Done

Government

• "The person to succede Shull on Town Council, will be decided at a May 5, 2010 Town Council meeting." - This sentence refers to an event that has already taken place.  Done

All in all a very nice article. Xtzou (Talk) 22:07, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

Comments

I was wondering if the Overlinking would be the language Wikilinks in the last line of Stephens City, Virginia#Demographics. I have taken some out like Hurricane and United States Post Office, but those are to actual languages. I, of course, could take those out easily, just want to make sure that is what would be considered overlinking. - NeutralHomer • Talk • 22:00, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

Also, the seperate religions on Stephens City, Virginia#Religion, would those be overlinking? - NeutralHomer • Talk • 22:03, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

Of course, it is a matter of opinion, but I like the links in demographics. And it is helpful to the general reader to see the variety of demographic groups in an American town. I was even thinking you should link terms like "Union", since I wonder how many people are familiar with the American Civil War. Xtzou (Talk) 22:14, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

OK, fixed everything (even my goof on Government...knew I would goof that :)). I updated a couple sections as requested, delinked somethings that people would know (US Post Office being one) and finished all the requested changes. What should I do next? (never done one of these before). Thanks for your help :) - NeutralHomer • Talk • 22:27, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

Further comments

• I think more could be summarized in the lead, per WP:Lead
• Also, in the lead it says ""Crossroads", the first free black community in the Valley in the antebellum years, was founded east of town in the 1850s." But the antebellum years started in 1789. Also, it is interesting that there was a "free black" community there before the Civil War. I notice that in the current census there are very low percentage of African Americans in Stephens City. Xtzou (Talk) 22:38, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
  • I didn't write that section of the history, but I can change it. There was a "free black" community before the Civil War, ironically in the area where my house is. When the Civil War started, some of the free blacks escaped to West Virginia or Maryland or even further north, while same were captured and put back to work, some to fight for the Confederates. So, it probably was one of the few (can't confirm this though) "free black" communities before the Civil War. I will change that though. - NeutralHomer • Talk • 22:43, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
    • I would be wonderful if you had references. That is the kind of contradictions that exists in American history! Xtzou (Talk)
      • To the one part about it being a "free black" community before the Civil War, I can source that. The part I can't, is my thinking it is one of few pre-Civil War "free black" communities. We took a lot out of the original history, but we are going to readd it when we do a History of Stephens City, Virginia for the history buffs. If you look back in the history of the page, the history section was insanely long and took up half the page. That was reduced by some good editing.
      • I did finish the editing. Added more to the lead, added more about "Crossroads" in both the lead and the body and took out the reference/Wikilink to the Antebellum years and made it "pre-Civil War years" and tied in the information about the recaputured blacks being forced to fight for the Confederates and some free blacks escaping to the North. - NeutralHomer • Talk • 22:59, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
        • Oh, I left one reference in the lead to confirm the town is part of the "Winchester–Frederick County Metropolitan Planning Organization" as it isn't talked about in the body of the page. - NeutralHomer • Talk • 23:01, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
        • Very nice job! I love that picture of Hulls Store! Xtzou (Talk) 23:23, 31 May 2010 (UTC)
          • Thanks! I just went around town and snapped pictures during the Summer of 2007. It was a hot couple days and even though the heat was playing havoc with my camera, all the pictures turned out great. I want to go around sometime in Fall when the leaves are changing and get some more pictures on a clear day. So I might switch them around (same shot, different day). Thanks :) - NeutralHomer • Talk • 23:26, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

GA review – see WP:WIAGA for criteria

1. Is it reasonably well written?

   A. Prose quality: Clearly and concisely written.

   B. MoS compliance: Complies with required elements of MOS

2. Is it factually accurate and verifiable?

   A. References to sources: Reliable sources

   B. Citation of reliable sources where necessary: Well referenced

   C. No original research:

3. Is it broad in its coverage?

   A. Major aspects: Sets the context

   B. Focused: Remains focused on the topic

4. Is it neutral?

   Fair representation without bias:

5. Is it stable?

   No edit wars, etc:

6. Does it contain images to illustrate the topic?

   A. Images are copyright tagged, and non-free images have fair use rationales:

   B. Images are provided where possible and appropriate, with suitable captions:

7. Overall:

   Pass or Fail: Pass!

Congratulations! Good job. Xtzou (Talk) 23:27, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

Free black communities

There were several other free black communities in Virginia before the Civil War, of varying sizes; the largest was in Petersburg, VA, where Pocahontas Island was settled almost exclusively by free blacks (the first two Baptist churches in Petersburg were started by black congregants) and the industrial economy had a variety of jobs; Richmond had many free blacks; Charlottesville had numerous free black families, including for a time those of two of Thomas Jefferson's sons by Sally Hemings, both of whom married mixed-race women. Norfolk probably had numerous free black; towns were the places where artisans and craftsmen could work. In addition, free blacks (including those of mixed-race, in colonial times mostly families descended from unions/marriages of white women and African men - see Paul Heinegg, [3] Free African Americans of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware) often migrated and settled in unincorporated frontier areas to farm, where racial strictures were less important than in the Tidewater area. They appeared in county censuses. The percentage of free blacks in Virginia increased markedly in the first two decades after the Revolutionary War, up to about 10%, as some slaveholders freed their slaves, based on the revolutionary principles of equality - and influenced by Quaker, Baptist and Methodist activists. Parkwells (talk) 17:23, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

Wow, I didn't know that. Guess my ol' Virginia History book from Elementary School didn't teach us everything. :) I know the "free blacks" in Stephens City were Methodist, that I can tell you. They build, the still standing Orrick Chapel Methodist Church in Stephens City and may have had a hand in building the original Stephens City United Methodist Church. That I got from the Stephens City history. But I guess I just didn't know that much about Virginia history to know about the other communities. Thanks Park :) - NeutralHomer • Talk • 21:44, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

Congratulations

Hi, congrats on the GA article status. It was good to have others looking at the history; although I'd taken out much, was still too close to it.Parkwells (talk) 17:07, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

Thank you, Sir. :) You were a great deal of help and insight during the process. - NeutralHomer • Talk • 21:44, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

Comment

I was asked by NeutralHomer to look at the GAN because of subsequent events involving the reviewer. The article appears to meet all GA standards and I see nothing untoward in the GAN.--Wehwalt (talk) 19:20, 14 June 2010 (UTC)