Mercer-Williams House

Residing proudly on Monterey Square, the Mercer-Williams house exudes its beauty for all to admire. More recently made famous by the movie and book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, the house began as a stately home built for General Hugh W. Mercer (great-grandfather to Savannah's Son, songwriter Johnny Mercer). With the outbreak of the Civil War (or just "The War" as it is known here), and the house not complete, General Mercer never resided in the house.After The War, around 1868, the home was finished and lived in by its new owner John Wilder. Decades later the house was used by the Alee Shriners, and then lay vacant for a decade.

Then, purchased by antiques dealer and historic preservationist John Williams, he painstakingly restored the magnificent estate. Today, you can tour the home, which now is owned by Jim's sister, and relish in its history and view many of Jim Williams' antiques.

NOTE: The house is on many ghost tours due to the fact that the house had already been the scene of a few deaths. In 1913 a previous owner tripped over the second floor banister, fractured his hip, and suffered a concussion, dying three days later. In 1969, a boy chasing pigeons on the roof fell over the edge and impaled himself on the iron fence below. Also, Jim Williams allegedly shot and killed Danny Hansford is the home. And in 1990, Williams died unexpectedly in the home. Enjoy!