DAVENPORT HOUSE MUSEUM
Our Mission
The mission of the Davenport House Museum is to preserve and interpret the American Federal-style house, and the artifacts within, built by master builder Isaiah Davenport for his household with an emphasis on the years 1820-27, in order to educate, enrich and inspire our visitors and the community on all the lived experiences of those who dwelt here both free and enslaved, as well as recognize the historical role of the house in the founding of Historic Savannah Foundation.
Our Goal
The goal is to be a “first class museum” adhering to professional standards, shepherding quality interpretation and providing the highest degree of preservation and maintenance of the site.
Our Audience
The Davenport House Museum sees approximately 40,000 visitors in person annually through its guided tours and education programs.
Our Site
The Davenport House Museum is situated on Columbia Square at the corner of State and Habersham Streets in the Historic District of Savannah, Georgia. The house is one of the oldest brick structures in the city owning to the common use of wood construction during the town’s earliest history. Situated directly on the street, the two-and-a-half story urban dwelling contains a total of 6,800 square feet with a basement level (which originally housed the kitchen, storage, work space and possibly a sleeping area for the enslaved people owned by Isaiah Davenport), the first floor containing the public areas, and the second and third floors which were bedrooms and storage space. The Davenport home sits on Columbia Ward’s lot number 13, which originally measured (and continues to measure) 60 feet by 90 feet. The rear portion of the lot at one time held a carriage house, garden and privy. The site now contains a portion of lot number 14 which is the Museum’s courtyard garden. The garden was a Bicentennial project of Savannah’s Trustees Garden Club. It has since been redesigned under the guidance of renowned English landscape designer Penelope Hobhouse.
While not a true restoration, the garden is maintained “in the spirit of the original occupants” and is planted with varieties of plants known to the Davenports and typical of coastal Georgia.