This fine Federal-style home was completed by master-builder Isaiah Davenport as his family residence in 1820. Authentically restored, the house museum features original plasterwork, a cantilever staircase and furnishings true to the 1820s. The site also features a courtyard garden that was originally a Bicentennial project of the Trustees' Garden Club and was later re-designed by noted horticulturist Penelope Hobhouse. Threatened with demolition in 1955, the saving of the Davenport House was the first effort of the Historic Savannah Foundation and the beginning of the historic preservation renaissance in this port city.
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Yellow Fever! Savannah’s Epidemic of 1820
Friday and Saturday nights in October 2010 (October 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30)
7:30, 8, 8:30 and 9 p.m.
$15 in advance for adults, $10 in advance children (ages 8-17) and $17 for adults and $15 for children at the time of the performance
Reservations recommended. Limited attendance.
50 minutes
Living history interpreters lead participants on a 50-minute experience throughout the historic site as voyeurs facing the frightful time of pestilence when the city was stricken by an epidemic of unknown cause but what we now know as mosquito-borne yellow fever. Performers will convey the fear, apprehension and ambivalence that characterized those who witnessed the deadly disease.
Not appropriate from children under 8 years of age.
The performance requires that guests be able to walk up and down stairs and maneuver in the candlelit rooms.
Holiday Evening Tours by Candlelight
December 26 -30, 2010
6 to 8:30 p.m.
Admission: $8 adults in advance, $10 at the door; $5 children in advance, $7 at the door
Glistening by candlelight, the Federal-style home welcomes visitors to an experience emphasizing the end-of-year celebrations of early 19th century Savannahians, including the Davenport household, who lived in the fine brick home on Columbia Square. Light refreshments, music and skilled interpreters, who show visitors through the home, are among the highlights of the presentation.
The performance requires that guests be able to walk up and down stairs and maneuver in the candlelit rooms.
"Potable Gold": Savannah’s Madeira Tradition
Friday and Saturday evenings in February 2011
[Program dates: February 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26]
5:30 p.m.
75 minutes
Admission: $20 (must be 21 years of age)
Reservations recommended. Limited attendance.
Experience the historic atmosphere of the Davenport House while learning about and tasting a unique and flavorful wine. Patrons are oriented to the long and rich tradition of Madeira (wine) as it relates to the history of Savannah and then they will participate in a Madeira party. During the experience they will sample two types of Madeira and see the historic house at dusk including spaces usually off-limits to museum guests.
The performance requires that guests be able to walk up and down stairs and maneuver in the candlelit rooms.
Valentine’s Day Weddings in the Davenport House Garden
Monday, February 14, 2011
4 to 7 p.m.
Get married in the museum’s beautiful courtyard garden and make it a Valentine’s Day to remember! Ceremonies will be offered every 10 minutes. A local judge will officiate. $100 donation to the museum. Call 912/236-8097 for additional information.
Tea at Mrs. Davenport’s
Thursdays and Fridays (and two Wednesday) in March 2011 (3, 4, 10, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25, 31)
5 p.m.
60 minutes
Admission: $18
Reservations recommended. Limited attendance.
Learn about tea traditions and experience an early 19th century tea in the historic atmosphere of the Isaiah Davenport House Museum. Patrons will tour areas of the historic home where tea service took place and will participate in an afternoon tea with costumed interpreters.
Our Old House: Director’s Preservation Tour of the Davenport House
Tuesday and Saturdays in March 2011
[Tour dates: March 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 19, 22, 26 and 29]
4:30 p.m.
60 minutes
Admission: $18
Acquaint yourself with the preservation and care of the Isaiah Davenport House, recipient of the Preserve America Presidential Award. The museum’s director will lead a tour in and around the home discussing the recent restoration, maintenance issues and techniques for preserving the site for the long term. The tour is limited to twelve people. Patrons will visit areas not normally on tour. The experience will end in the garden with light refreshments.
The performance requires that guests be able to walk up and down stairs.
Early Bird’s Preservation Walking Tour of the Landmark Historic District’s East Side
Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays in April 2011 (except April 15, 16, 29, and 30)
[Program date: April 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 12, 19, 22, 23, 26]
At 7:30 a.m.
90 minutes. Distance 2.5 miles
Admission: $20
Take an early morning walk through one of the oldest and most varied neighborhoods to learn how historic preservation has revitalized downtown Savannah. Tours led by the Davenport House director will introduce the personalities, structures and issues that have enthralled Savannah’s preservation movement. Coffee in the Davenport House garden to follow.
Tea in the Garden at the Davenport House
Thursdays and Fridays in May 2011
[Program dates: May 5 – 4:30 p.m., 6 – 4:30 p.m., 12 – 4:30, 13 – 4:30, 19 – 4:30, 20 – 4:30, 26 – 5:30, 27 – 5:30]
4:30 or 5:30 p.m. [Will push back later once we know when Tauck Tours is coming]
60 minutes
Admission: $18
Reservations recommended. Limited attendance.
Learn about tea traditions and experience an early 19th century tea in Davenport House’s beautiful courtyard garden. Patrons will visit areas of the home where tea service took place and will participate in an afternoon tea given with costumed interpreters in the garden.
Curator’s Tour and Highlights of the Collection
Wednesdays in May 2011
[Program dates: May 4, 11, 18, 25]
At 4:30 p.m.
90 minutes
Admission: $15
The museum’s curator will lead patrons on a special tour of the house explaining the basis for the house’s interpretation and recent restoration, examining highlights of the collections and viewing collection storage, which is normally off-limits to museum visitors. The tour is limited to 10 people. Following the tour there will be refreshments and a time for conversation in the garden.
The performance requires that guests be able to walk up and down stairs.
Discovering 1820s Savannah: Early Bird’s Walking Tour of the City Isaiah Knew
Saturdays in May 2011 [May 7, May 14, May 21, May 28]
7:30 a.m.
100 minutes. Distances 2.7 miles.
$20
See what survives of the 1820s Savannah that master builder Isaiah Davenport knew. Beginning at the Davenport House Museum (1820) participants will walk by some of the finest examples of preservation in the city and learn about what no longer remains. Topics to include the Great Fire of 1820, the yellow fever epidemic of 1820, Lafayette’s visit to Savannah in 1825 and the celebrations surround the 50th anniversary of the United States in 1826. Coffee in the Davenport House garden will follow.
The Davenport House is a property of Historic Savannah Foundation. |
www.historicsavannahfoundation.org
www.gacoastalmuseums.org
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