Jane Crayton Davis

Jane Davis of Aiken has spent over 50 years as an advocate, activist and planner for history and historic preservation. She has been instrumental in establishing Aiken’s historic preservation ordinances, serving on local and statewide boards, advocating for adaptive use of historic structures, expanding knowledge of our history and built environments and supporting these causes with her time, expertise and finances.

In Aiken there are several buildings that were saved and adaptively used, in part, by Jane’s advocacy and involvement including Banksia Cottage and the Wilcox Inn. Jane was invaluable in helping efforts to list more than 100 sites in Aiken’s three Winter Colony districts to the National Register. She served on the committee that drafted Aiken’s first historic preservation zoning ordinance, wrote the first historic tour brochure for the town and helped establish an archives for the Aiken County Historical Museum. Jane Davis also served in support of her passions and advocacy: She served 10 years on Aiken’s Planning and Zoning Commission, 8 years on Aiken’s Historic Preservation Commission and for more than 20 years served on the board of the Historic Aiken Foundation serving in every capacity that you can as a board member, including some that sound like they were created just for her. At the state level Jane was a member of the task force that created our organization Preservation South Carolina, she served 12 years on the Executive Council of the Confederation of SC Local Historical Societies and 8 years on the South Caroliniana Society and established the Jane Crayton Davis Preservation Endowment at the Caroliniana Library for the restoration of historical documents.

Jane Davis has a passion for historic preservation that has led to the accolade, “a real pioneer in historic preservation in South Carolina.” Her unwavering dedication to preserving South Carolina's heritage makes Jane Davis an exemplary recipient of the Governor's Award.