The Davenport House Museum, an award-winning property owned and operated by Historic Savannah Foundation and located at 324 E. State St. on Columbia Square in Savannah, Ga., recently announced plans to expand the historical narrative at this historic house museum into the early 20th century for the first time since the Federal-style building opened as a house museum in 1963.
“Old Chan Magic: Chinese Roots, Southern Branches,” a new exhibit curated by Davenport House Museum Executive Director Danielle Hodes and featuring a wide range of historic photography, will open at Historic Savannah Foundation’s Murray C. Perlman and Wayne C. Spear Preservation Center, located at 323 E. Broughton St., on Thursday, January 16 and run through May 2025. The exhibit shares the fascinating story of the Chan family who lived in the iconic 1820 home when it operated as a tenement in the early 20thcentury, before the Davenport House was saved from demolition and renovated as a 19th-century house museum.
“Until now, the Davenport House Museum’s primary period of interpretation has been from 1820 to 1827, when Isaiah Davenport, his wife Sarah, their children and 13 enslaved workers lived in the home,” said Danielle Hodes, Davenport House Museum Executive Director. “This new exhibit offers insight into Savannah’s vibrant Chinese-American community in the early 1900s.”
In November of 2023, the Davenport House Museum opened an immersive urban slavery exhibition on the garden-level of the historic 1820 home that was originally built by carpenter Isaiah Davenport, transforming the space into an educational exploration of urban slavery in the antebellum period. “Old Chan Magic: Chinese Roots, Southern Branches” expands the narrative at the Davenport House even further, marking the first exhibition that has focused on the period in the 20th century when the home operated as a tenement building.
“Old Chan Magic” will explore the life and legacy of the Chan family in Savannah in the early 1900s. An Opening Reception will take place onThursday, Jan. 16 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.This exhibition features rare photographs and stories that reveal the daily lives of the Chan family, their business endeavors and their experience as part of a growing Chinese-American community in the South in the early 20th century. Through these images, visitors will discover a unique perspective on the intersection of Chinese heritage and Southern identity during a pivotal time in Savannah’s history.
As part of this special evening, the City of Savannah Municipal Archives will be on site with its History On The Go station, collecting on-the-spot oral histories with community members to capture and preserve personal stories. The opening reception is free and open to the public, although RSVPs are encouraged.
In 1889, Robert Chung Chan became one of Savannah’s first Chinese immigrants. Robert and his wife, Annie, lived in the Davenport House from 1901 to 1902 while operating a Chinese laundry in what is now the Historic Kennedy Pharmacy. Their story embodies the broader experience of early Chinese immigrants in America while uniquely reflecting Savannah’s cultural landscape, shaped in large part by Robert’s leadership, influence, and social connections.
“We warmly invite Savannah residents and visitors to join us for the opening reception of this groundbreaking exhibition, which will be the first of its kind at the Davenport House Museum,” said Sue Adler, CEO and President of Historic Savannah Foundation. “’Old Chan Magic’ will offer a rare glimpse into Savannah’s vibrant Chinese community, explore our city’s rich multicultural heritage and celebrate the narratives that continue to shape Savannah’s vibrant history.”
In addition, the Davenport House Museum will host “In the Garden Behind the Moon: Author Talk with Alexandra A. Chan” on Friday, Jan. 17. The evening begins with an exhibition preview from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., followed by an author talk, Q&A session and book signing from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Through the lens of grief, resilience and renewal, Chan will explore her path to healing by uncovering the stories and artifacts left by her father and ancestors. This event is $10 per person and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase on-site.
Chan, a distinguished archaeologist, artist and author, is a descendant of Robert and Annie Chan, former residents of the Davenport House and proprietors of the R.C. Chan, Tong & Co., a Chinese laundry that once occupied the Historic Kennedy Pharmacy at 323 E. Broughton St.
Chan will share insights from her deeply moving memoir, In the Garden Behind the Moon, an extraordinary work that was honored as the Best Book of the Year in Multicultural Nonfiction at the American Book Fest Book Awards. In her memoir, Chan blends family history with personal discovery, taking readers on a journey from pre-revolution China to Jim Crow-era Savannah, the Pacific theater of WWII and the black sands of Iceland. Enriched with full-color Chinese brush paintings by the author and vintage photographs, In the Garden Behind the Moon serves as a powerful testament to the magic and wonder of daily life.
This program is presented in association with the City of Savannah Municipal Archives Hungry for History series as well as the new exhibition, “Old Chan Magic: Chinese Roots, Southern Branches.”
Built in 1820, the Davenport House was designed by carpenter Isaiah Davenport and officially launched Savannah’s historic preservation movement when a group of seven local women joined forces to purchase the historic home, which was slated for demolition, in 1955. The Davenport House officially opened as a house museum in 1963 and has been open to the public ever since.
For more information, visit davenporthousemuseum.org.
