"Great tour on the restoration." "Very well done – excellent guide." "Very nice . . . finally a tribute to those who made it all possible – The 1950s ladies did a wonderful job!" ""Beautiful city, lovely house, great garden." "Very inspiring—thank you for all your preservation efforts in Savannah, which have helped so many others."
The above are some of the many comments visitors made after experiencing the Davenport House this past spring and fall. Our museum puts out a terrific product and serves the community through a well maintained historic house. Please help us continue the positive service to visitors and the greater Savannah community by donating to our Annual Giving Campaign – Friends of the Davenport House.
We need you now more than ever because it is a precarious time for historic sites. Visitation is declining nationwide and some museums are closing and going on the real estate market because of lack of funding. We cannot allow the Davenport House to ever be in a situation where its position as a public trust is jeopardized.
Of more immediate concern, in January 2007, the Davenport House’s primary tour partner sold its daily tour service to another company. While our new partner supports the DH, this business transition hit the Davenport House with an unexpected $26,000 loss in tour fees in 2007. Thankfully, the museum had the Friends of the Davenport House program in place as well as increased walk-in visitation, stepped up garden rentals and lively special events which made it possible for the museum to recover some of the loss without dipping into its investments.
Even with nagging concerns about the future, the immediate past and the present are terrific at the museum. The house is in a fine state of preservation and the garden looks beautiful. More young people than ever have made a long term commitment to the DH through the Junior Interpreter program. Our volunteer program is thriving. New collection items are being added and our public programs continue to entertain and educate. As you must be aware, the Davenport House embraces excellence in stewardship and serves the public through tours, programs and publications including our very fine website and our new book Savannah’s Beacon of Preservation.
You should know the Davenport House is completely self-supporting and does not burden its parent organization or any governmental entity. In order for this to continue, we need your kind gifts.
Donation Categories:
$1-49: Brick Mason
$50-149: Carpenter
$150-249: Master Builder
$250-599: Alderman
$600-999: Fire Warden
$1,000 and above: McKinnon Circle |
