Davenport moved to Saline at the age of twelve after his father's death, and began working as a mercantile clerk.

The Davenports selected many of the furnishings for the house from manufacturer displays at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.

[3] The Davenport House is a Second Empire mansion, located by itself on a city block at the entrance to Saline, surrounded by mature trees.

It sits on a cut stone foundation, and the exterior contains ornate bracketry, corbels, lintels, and dormers.

The full-length windows are topped with carved interior cornices and the ceilings are decorated with sculptured plaster.