After a decade of living there, Duncan Manor owners want to make it a community gathering place

It’s been 10 years since Dave and Randi Howell purchased Duncan Manor, and as it approaches the anniversary, they want to make their home more available to the community.

The Howells live in the brick farmhouse with their two young children and have spent the 10 years as owners rehabilitating the Civil War-era home in rural Towanda.

Starting this Friday, the couple is hosting a three-day festival and fundraiser at the manor, featuring food, live music and a panel discussion featuring the hosts of TV’s Cheap Old Houses.

Eric Stock

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WGLT

Duncan Manor was featured on the show in 2021, which the Howells say significantly raised the profile of the house not just across the country but also receiving visitors from across the globe. As the creators of the show featured homes similar to Duncan, Randi Howell said it helped lead a movement of saving old, historically significant homes.

“They’ve really taken a focus of two homes that are 150,000 dollars and less to try to help save these buildings from demolition,” Randi said in an interview on WGLT's Sound Ideas. “And that just kind of exploded and they started that right after we moved here and it's just become a movement, really, just acknowledging these buildings."

Dave Howell added they have established a nonprofit to help other people as they look to preserve other historic landmarks. He said it’s their goal to help others who find themselves in a similar situation.

“Our goal, too, down the road is to be able to generate more income and, you know, possibly help other people out that were kind of in the shoes we were in when we started out,” said Dave.

The couple also wants to refurbish a pole barn on the property to be converted into a community center, complete with restrooms and a kitchen. They are making the move from the lower to upper levels of the home so that the ground floor can be used for more community events.

“Now it feels more like it is meant to be enjoyed by the community and it is a place that should be open,” said Randi.

The Howells said they hope turning their home into a full-fledged business will enable them to make it their full-time vocations. It largely is already for Dave, who has done much of the construction work at the home.

“The goal with this is to be able to share it with the community on a more regular basis,” Dave said. “So, this in turn will help us generate income which in return we can put back into the property.”

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Randi elaborated and said, “It goes beyond just the house, like we really want to restore the land, the gardens and let it kind of spread out. A place that people can come and enjoy the reprieve, it’s just magical out there.”

The Howells didn’t always feel that way, though. Since they initially moved into Duncan Manor, they saw people going up and down their driveway to come look at the house because they heard about it from friends or saw it from the highway.

In the spring of 2014, shortly after the couple purchased the home, they decided to have an open house and quickly realized how interested the community was in their new home.

“We did like $5 at the door or something. It was very organic, and we had 3,000 people come through that weekend,” Randi recalled. “It was madness. So, at that point we realized it was really special, it was something that was special to everyone in the area and beyond.”

Despite their home being regularly open to the public, the couple said that they find each experience rewarding as they visit and mingle with community members who wanted to see the home.

“It’s [Duncan Manor] beautiful, it’s got a big draw to it. I don’t know, we kind of say it’s an energy vortex,” Dave said. “It’s always a lot of work putting on some of these events and fundraisers, but as we do it, it’s always kind of a refresh afterwards because of the positivity and the reaction we get from a lot of the local community that comes back all the time.”

The events at Duncan Manor start Friday at 5 p.m. and will also include a silent auction and local vendors throughout the weekend.