The Isaiah Davenport house is a historic home in Savannah, Georgia

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...

 that is operated as a historic house museum by the Historic Savannah Foundation.

It is located at 324 East State Street, on the northwest corner of Columbia Square

Squares of Savannah, Georgia

The city of Savannah, Georgia, United States, was laid out in 1769 around four open squares. The plan anticipated growth of the city and thus expansion of the grid; additional squares were added during the 18th and 19th centuries, and by 1851 there were twenty four squares in the city...

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Architectural style

The Federal-style dwelling neared completion in 1820 and first appeared on the tax rolls 1821. Masterbuilder Isaiah Davenport, a native of New England, designed and built the home as a dwelling for his growing household as well as a demonstration of his building skills.

History

The 1820 Federal-style dwelling was built by upwardly mobile artisan Isaiah Davenport and his crew for his growing household, which included his wife, children, and slaves. It was his family home until his death in 1827 when his wife, Sarah Clark Davenport, converted it into a boarding house. She lived in the residence on Columbia Square until 1840 when she sold it to the Baynard family of South Carolina. The house remained in their hands for the next 109 years. As time passed, the once stately home in a fashionable neighborhood became a rundown rooming house in a seedy part of town. Even in an advanced state of neglect, New Deal surveyors recognized the architectural significance of the home when they identified and measured it for the Historic American Buildings Survey in the 1930s. Threatened with demolition in 1955, a group of community-spirited citizens joined forces to purchase the Davenport House. This was the first act of the Historic Savannah Foundation, which has gone on to save hundreds buildings in the historic city through its renowned revolving loan fund and other historic preservation activities. In 1955, the Davenport House became the office for Historic Savannah Foundation as well as a family services agency. Sensing the potential for an historic site, the first floor of the house was restored and opened to the public as a museum on March 9, 1963. Years later the second and third floors were opened and Historic Savannah Foundation moved its offices to another building. Beginning in the mid-1980s leaders of the museum began an effort to adhere to professional museum standards. In the mid-1990s the museum began a re-restoration process, which resulted in a more authentic experience for museum visitors, including period wallpaper and period room furnishings which reflect the inventory taken at the time of Isaiah Davenport’s death in 1827.

Museum

The Davenport House was first opened as a museum in 1963. In 2005, The Davenport House Museum received the Preserve America Presidential Award. In 2010 it received the Georgia Governor's Award in the Humanities.

External links

• http://www.davenporthousemuseum.org/ - Davenport House Museum Website
• http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.ga0031 at Historic American Building Survey (includes 11 photos, 5 drawings, 7 data pages and supplemental material)