The River House/The Davenport House

A month or so ago I began a series for North Augusta Today about historic homes and buildings in the city. I've written several stories during the two years we've published about North Augusta's history. This has been a fun endeavor for me.

North Augusta homes
By Lisa Kaylor Staff Writer

When Poi Cohen and Achana Janritranont first laid eyes on the Davenport house, they knew it was the perfect place for their Thai and American restaurant, River House.
"When you walk in, you feel a good spirit in the house," Cohen said.
She believes that "good spirit" comes from the house's original owners, Joe and Ethel Davenport. Joe, especially, was a helpful person, she said.
The Davenports built the house on the corner of Georgia and East Clifton avenues in 1905, a year before the town was founded. Cohen and Janritranont wrote a brief history of the building on a flyer they give to guests.
According to that history, Joe ran a small print shop behind the house.
He was also a pharmacist who sold a concoction he called "Frog Pond Elixir," which was said to cure everything from colds to constipation.
From 1910 to 1920, Joe served as North Augusta's fire chief. He reputedly slept soundly as the Hampton Terrace burned to the ground in 1917.
His own house was struck by lightening in 1934. The subsequent fire destroyed the second floor of the home, which was never rebuilt. The central hallway of the house may have contained the staircase at one time. It has been closed off and now houses the restaurant's kitchen and front foyer.
The original lady of the house, Ethel, became the first woman elected to the North Augusta town council. However, her gardening skills gained her more notoriety than her politics.
She was an avid gardener. The daffodils that lined her walkway still welcome patrons of the River House.
In 1988, the house was sold to Brenda Gibson, who opened B.C. Davenport's, a restaurant she operated until Cohen and Janritranont bought it in 2008.
Cohen and Janritranont said they wanted to make the house cleaner, brighter and fresher, and accomplished that by repainting the walls. They added a fifth room to the back of the house. The bathrooms and another dining room are located there.
Cohen and Janritranont said they have no plans to change anything, except maybe the paint in a few years.
They like the building's character.
"Me and my partner came in and fell in love with the place," Cohen said.
Reach Lisa Kaylor at lisa.kaylor@northaugustatoday.com.

http://natoday.augusta.com/node/5375