Mercer-Williams House

The 7,000-square-foot mansion on Monterey Square that inspired John Berendt's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Built in 1860 and later purchased by antiques dealer Jim Williams, it has seen at least three tragic deaths.

The Mercer-Williams House is a 7,000 square foot Italianate mansion that became world-famous through John Berendt's 1994 bestseller "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Designed by New York architect John S. Norris in 1860 for General Hugh Mercer, the Civil War interrupted construction and Mercer never lived there.

The house's dark history begins in 1969 when 11-year-old Tommy Downs fell from the roof and died. That same year, antique dealer and restorationist Jim Williams purchased the mansion for $55,000 and meticulously restored it over two years. Williams's annual Christmas parties became legendary in Savannah society - but the festivities ended in 1981 when Williams shot his assistant Danny Hansford in the study. The case became Georgia's most notorious murder trial, with Williams tried four times before finally being acquitted.

Less than a year after his acquittal, Williams died suddenly in the same study, his body found in approximately the same spot where Hansford had fallen. His death certificate listed pneumonia, but many believe something more sinister was at play. Williams had claimed Hansford's angry ghost haunted him after the shooting, growing more vengeful as the trials dragged on. Williams even consulted a voodoo practitioner to exorcise the spirit - to no avail.

Today, visitors report seeing Danny Hansford's restless ghost and the spirit of young Tommy Downs on the balcony. On nights when Williams would have held his famous Christmas party, passersby claim to see the chandelier illuminate empty rooms, painting the windows with shadows of women in gowns and men in their finest suits - a phantom celebration that never ends. Williams's sister, Dorothy Kingery, managed the museum until her death in 2023.