A Piece of History

The Reids House

The Reid Plantation on the waters of Cabin Creek and the Yadkin River, 2 miles south of High Rock and 7 miles southwest of Denton, may be called the most remarkable farm in Davidson County. In the first place, it is the only farm in the county still in operation where every sizable building was erected before the Civil War. Secondly, it is the birthplace and boyhood home of Dr. Albert Clayton Reid, who taught philosophy at Wake Forest University for 45 years. Thirdly, it is the only farm in Davidson County that has ever been used as the backdrop for a book. The book is a delightful little novel entitled Tales of Cabin Cook. The old plantation is a relic of the old South. So far as known, it is the only farm in NC now in a high state of cultivation.  

With no one to look after the plantation, vandals took their toll on the buildings. As a result of this and with the concern of others, Denton FarmPark’s owner, Brown Loflin, acquired the buildings (the house, smoke house, and “kitchen”) that remained intact from the descendants of Richmond Reid and moved them to Denton FarmPark in the 1980’s. They were lovingly restored to their original luster for all.

During the Southeast Old Threshers Reunion and the Christmas Train the Reeds house is full of life and fully decorated.

Better Gifts to Give at Christmas Time

By: Christina Frost

Who are we kidding? Gift giving can challenge the best of us. Then pile on the stresses of the most “wonderful time of the year” and all the expectations of the “perfect” Christmas gift, and it simply feels easier to ask someone for their wish list and call it a day.

There’s nothing wrong with asking for a list of gift ideas of course. You can’t go wrong giving people exactly what they want for for Christmas. But what if we could take this opportunity to show our love for one another by giving gifts in more unique and elevated ways?

One of the best tools in our belt for this is learning one another’s love languages. The concept of the 5 Love Languages® was coined by Dr. Gary Chapman and is outlined in one of his many books on the subject. The Love Languages® are as follows: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch.

Now the reason it’s important to know someone’s love language is because it will help us be more specific in the kinds of gifts we give to one another. Typically we only think of buying a thing for a person, and yes, for some people, a particular object would be an excellent gift. But when you factor in the love languages you can hone down from the broad spectrum of gifts to give. 

For example, a person who values quality time together would probably love an experience as a gift, either with you or someone else they enjoy spending time with. Someone who loves words of affirmation might want an image with words about how you feel about them, or you can create a journal of words telling them how much you value them. For those who feel honored by acts of service you can do something for them above and beyond the daily chores around the house. Pay for a cleaner to come and clean their house, detail their car, or do a chore for them they’ve been putting off for ages because they don’t have the time or energy to do it themselves. For physical touch there’s of course the fun coupons–a massage after you get off work or you could go purchase a massage for them from a professional. And for those who love receiving gifts, it’s often not about how much you spend on them–they might want lots of little gifts to open which you could space throughout the month or do a little research to get them something they want but have never specifically asked you for.

Simply start paying extra attention to what people say or do and take notes to help you gather ideas to implement later. There is something really beautiful and life giving about a person who will go out of their way to gift someone something that speaks to the deepest parts of their heart.

Don’t be discouraged of course if you’re in a season of life where you don’t have the time, energy, or effort to come up with a truly unique gift for someone. Everyone experiences stretches of time like that. Or if you do have the time and energy but are simply nervous about giving someone a gift they won’t enjoy or understand, don’t hesitate to ask a mutual friend or family member for ideas to zero in on an idea you already have. Sometimes it takes a village!

And yes, sometimes you’ll have to consider giving a gift that you would never want yourself and that’s totally for the fine. As strange as it might feel to give someone tickets to a concert you’d never attend yourself or giving them a new tool they’ll hang in the garage, they will deeply appreciate you were able to think beyond your scope of understanding in order to bring them their own individual joy.

Bottom line, our attention to the gift receiver is the best gift we can give to another person. To be truly known is a kind of Christmas magic which lasts us the whole year long. 

Thank you for reading our monthly newsletter!

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Newsletter Written by Heather Russell

Event Coordinator

Denton FarmPark

336-859-2755

dentonfarmparkoffice@gmail.com

www.dentonfarmpark.com