The Historic Savannah Foundation’s Urban Enslaved Exhibit has been open to the public for more than a month, and it’s the first of many indications of the organization’s take on its fresh new spin and vision. Along with the completion of projects that have been years in the making, the shift has also been highlighted by new leadership.
Jamie Credle, former director of the Davenport House Museum, was fired in May after 20 years in the position. A few weeks later, HSF executive Jeff Freeman was promoted to a newly created position as the director of operations for the Davenport House Museum.
New Davenport House leadership wants to expand community of support
In September, HSF chose Danielle Hodes as the new Davenport House Museum executive director.
For Hodes and Freeman, the transition has put them in a position to continue investing in what they love — historic houses and preservation work. Hodes is a storied museum professional, having worked with institutions such as the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the National Museum of American History and the Edith Farnsworth House Historic Site.
Credit: Courtesy of the Historic Savannah Foundation
Credit: Courtesy of the Historic Savannah Foundation
Coming into the position, one of Hodes’ focuses is building community, a crucial and vocal part in what has carried the Davenport House throughout the years.
“If there's one thing that has become just absolutely crystal clear to me is how much the people who are involved in this house love and care for it. And that is so central and so wonderful to view,” Hodes said.
“Coming in here, learning what we're doing, I'm thinking of how can we expand that community around the house. How can we create events in programming that bring new people in, too? How do we usher in, kind of, the next generation of preservationists? How do we get those people involved? And so, a lot of my thinking right now is really involved around how can we add to the wonderful base that's already here, and specifically through programming.”
Credit: Courtesy of the Historic Savannah Foundation
Credit: Courtesy of the Historic Savannah Foundation
Freeman’s position was created, in part, to support Hodes as the organization ushers in this new phase of growth. But he also brings with him vast institutional knowledge of the museum, having started with the Davenport House in 2006 as a museum associate and then an assistant manager.
The Urban Enslaved Exhibit reopened the basement level of the 1820s home with an exhibition dedicated to sharing the stories of the 13 enslaved workers who resided there alongside the Davenport family. As the organization grows, Freeman said the plan is to expand the focus of Davenport, which has played a key role in Savannah history and has served as the flagship for the Historic Savannah Foundation.
“It's been a growth period, because, even though we're a House Museum, and we interpret a specific period of history, tours, what we know is never static,” Freeman said.
“As we tell the story about the Davenport house, it's not just about the Davenports, just like life in Savannah was not about the white people living here. It was everybody that was living here, everybody played a role and we want to tell the complete story. The Davenport's never would have been able to accomplish what they did, or even be remembered, if it hadn't been for the labor of the enslaved people that were the whole soul and that's what we want people to know.”
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
As the story expands, the Savannah community changes. HSF president and CEO Sue Adler said that with the help of the new Davenport leadership, they hope to bring new community members into the fold of what the organization is building.
“On the HSF side, we're in the same boat,” Adler said. “I think we can all agree the community has changed a bit over the last several years. We have a lot of people who live in Savannah, particularly Downtown and Historic District who weren't born here. So there's this whole influx of new people that have come to our community that we also look forward to reaching out to.
“We have to look at the entire community. Not just those [who] have been here for many, many years.”
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Davenport House Museum and Historic Savannah Foundation share continued focus on community and growth
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