These good times came to an end in the year 1981, after the shooting death of Williams' assistant and lover, Danny Hansford, a former prostitute with a past almost as questionable as the Mercer-Williams House itself. Williams was also known to throw wildly extravagant parties that would have surely made Daisy Buchanan swoon (although it's doubtful Williams would have been interested). So satisfied with its outcome, Williams decided to make the house his permanent residence, while using the carriage house out back for his antique restoration business. In 35 years, Williams bought and restored over 50 houses, including the one that now bears his name-Hint: I’m talking about the Mercer-Williams House, of course.Īfter a meticulous two-year restoration process, Williams successfully renovated the house, making it once again a grand site. In the year 1955, Williams (just twenty-four at the time) bought three houses on Savannah's East Congress Street. Williams was known about town as an antique dealers and preservationist, who had a love affair with Savannah's history and architecture. The new owner was the much talked about Jim Williams. After, the Shriners' tenure, the house rested in a vacant state for nearly ten years before it finally found a new owner in 1969. Interestingly enough, no member of the Mercer family ever actually had the chance to live at the Mercer-Williams house.ĭuring a period of time in the twentieth century, the house was home to the Savannah's Shriners Alee Temple, (you know, those old guys in the funny hats who drive those really tiny cars). As for Norris himself, he quickly moved back to his home state just before the war began.Īround the year 1868, the house was completed by its new owner, John Wilder, as the Confederate General Hugh Weedon Mercer was unable to finish his dream home.
In 1860, ground was broken on the Mercer property, but construction was halted due to the Civil War. Norris was New York born and raised (on the playgrounds he spent most of his days), before coming to Savannah where he enjoyed success in building houses, churches and lighthouses throughout the area. The house was designed for General Hugh Weedon Mercer by architect John S. The Mercer-Williams is located at 429 Bull Street and stands on Monterey Square (also haunted) in Savannah, Georgia. The Mercer-Williams is now owned by Jim Williams' sister Dorothy Kingery, who runs it as a museum. Ghost City Tours is the place to book with, because our mission is to share the truth with all seekers of the paranormal.
But, don't just go on any tour and listen to the ramblings of misinformation spewed as gospel. The infamy related to the house stems from the murder of Danny Hansford, who was the assistant (and lover) of the home's owner, Jim Williams.Īs a result of its tumultuous past, the Mercer-Williams House has become a favorite attraction for those visiting Savannah. The Mercer-Williams today is most associated in the mind of society via its infamous mentioning in the John Berendt novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which was later turned into a film directed by Clint Eastwood. This spooky yet majestic house on Monterey Square is a place shrouded in mysteries and a vessel for a thousand ghost stories, ranging from the libelous to the downright nonsensical.
The tragic events that have occurred throughout the Mercer-Williams House's history are a clear indication as to why the house is said to be haunted. In its many years of existence, the Mercer-Williams House has seen many tragedies, and the people who have called it home quite possibly have been more affected by hauntings than any other citizen of Savannah. If there can only be one house in all of Savannah that is to be considered the city's most mysterious, that distinction would have to go to the Mercer-Williams House.
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