Oaklands Mansion is excited to announce an etiquette seminar to benefit the fifth graders at Walter Hill Elementary School. This activity is supported by a grant from the Public Service Committee, Middle Tennessee State University. The grant will cover a program, “Civility, Etiquette, and Manners,” presented by Deborah Belcher. Ms. Belcher is a professor of interior design and trained at the Emily Post Institute. Students will come to Oaklands Mansion for lessons and activities in etiquette. They will participate in an interactive lunch and learn table etiquette by following techniques in a hands-on, real time experience. They will also experience appropriate methods of shaking hands and behavior in social and professional settings. Part of the seminar describes the history of etiquette and includes a tour of Oaklands Mansion where Victorian table settings are displayed.
“This interactive workshop will positively impact our community by empowering children with life skills. Kindness, civil respect and politeness, dinning etiquette, table settings, and social and professional manners are all part of preparing students for their future personal and professional interactions and providing them with confidence through simple techniques,” said Deborah Belcher, Professor in the Department of Human Sciences at Middle Tennessee State University.
Photo: Wedding China
Among the many wedding gifts Lewis and Adeline Maney received at the time of their marriage on December 3rd in 1846, was a large set of Old Paris porcelain tableware. The china trimmed in borders of gold, was custom painted with a beautiful floral design for the couple. The china set was divided between Maney descendants and several pieces have been returned to Oaklands over the years. To replace broken or lost pieces, Maney descendants had copies of the china commissioned in the early 20th century. The floral pattern differs slightly from the original service. Ruby colored bohemian glass drinkware including wine, sherry, and cordial glasses were gifts to the couple along with coin silver flatware engraved with the bride’s initials, “RAM.”
