Holiday Traditions of the Enslaved Community

The Davenport House Museum, an award-winning property owned and operated by Historic Savannah Foundation, is pleased to offer special evening tours focused on the often overlooked “Holiday Traditions of the Enslaved Community” on Friday, December 27. Presented in partnership with Gullah-Geechee Master Storyteller Patt Gunn and Underground Tours, this one-night-only event will take place during the Kwanzaa celebration and will offer a more complete understanding of the holiday season at the Davenport House.

These thought-provoking, immersive tours are designed to help attendees understand the historic experiences of the enslaved workers who resided in the Federal-style home during the holiday season in the early 19th century. Between 1812 and 1828, there were as many as 13 enslaved persons who occupied and held a range of responsibilities at the Davenport House on Columbia Square.

Every 30 minutes, guests will depart from the Historic Kennedy Pharmacy at 323 East Broughton Street and explore holiday traditions expressed through song, dance, foodways and spirituality at the Davenport House. Patt Gunn’s Saltwata Players, a local folk art Gullah-Geechee performance group, will perform freedom and holiday songs. In addition, Patt Gunn will share moving stories designed to offer a richer, more nuanced perspective on the meaning of the holidays for Savannah’s urban enslaved community.

Patt Gunn is a Gullah-Geechee “daughter of the soil of Savannah” who founded the Geechee Institute in 1992. Over the years, she has developed festivals, hosted lectures and spearheaded oral history projects for the Savannah community. She founded Underground Tours of Savannah in 2017 to share the history of her ancestors and to lead tours focused on Savannah’s African-American and Gullah-Geechee history. Most recently, she spearheaded a three-year campaign resulting in the renaming of Calhoun Square in honor of Susie King Taylor.

Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for children 18 and under. Tours will be offered on Friday, December 27 at 5:30, 6, 6:30 and 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase online at davenporthousemuseum.org.