By Kai Freeman.
Photographed by Lucia Artigas.
Entering the house of John and Ginger Duncan, one can’t help but be stunned by the surrounding beauty. There are paintings of lush saturated landscapes and still-life tiles on the walls. In contrast, on the ceiling, faded, yet comforting designs of green leaves wrapped around purple or pink flowers greet guests. On the floor, a large, intricate doll house separates the parlor from the dining room.
The Duncan’s home on Monterey Square. Image Credit: Lucia Artigas.
“This is a copy of the Byrd Estate Home in Virginia on the mountain Potomac,” said Ginger Duncan. The couple was at an estate sale just over two years ago when they found the house. Deals were difficult between the owners and the public buyers–they couldn’t come to an agreement. “And so, they let us buy it,” said Mrs. Duncan
John Duncan never intended to live on Monterey square, either.
“I came to Savannah in 1965 and taught at Armstrong, junior college it was then…I taught for 32 years. Many history courses; but my favorite was Savannah history.” John believes if it weren’t for that estate sale they might have lived in a ranch style house somewhere in the suburbs. There would be no high ceilings. No elevator for their four floors. No for Mr. Duncan’s many, many collections. “I would hate it there,” he said.
John Duncan. Image credit: Lucia Artigas.
Certainly, John Duncan, above all else, is a man in love with history, art and the collection of these things. “At age 6, I collected steel pennies. The government was running out of copper, using it in the war effort, so they coined little steel pennies. They were bright and shiny. And I collected a big bag full of them. And then I collected fossils and marbles. But then I graduated to a little higher level.”
Mr. Duncan also shared his unique, hand-crafted canes crafted by local African Americans. “The best one is Vernon Edwards. But there’s two generations of the Jones family – Willis Jones Senior and Willis Joaquin Jones Junior.. I like supporting local artists.”
Or perhaps he may enthrall one with one of his recently published books. “It’s a book of lilies and magnolias. And it was done by a Quaker lady from Philadelphia, who went down to Florida in 1872 and did these watercolors. And, a couple of years ago, I published it in a smaller version, perforated, so you can pull out a few and still have your book intact.”Mr. Duncan is planning to give it to the National Women’s Museum in Washington, D.C.
“My favorites are at the end, the magnolia grandiflora, the quintessential southern flower. And my very favorite one is the one with the Spanish moss.”
Mr. Duncan speaks with enthusiasm on history and his collection. Mrs. Duncan, on the other hand, says, “believe it or not, I’m a minimalist,” but later, as she describes furnishing the doll house, she says she had “gotten to go through [her] second childhood.”
