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Located a few miles from Savannah’s otherwise-walkable downtown, Bonaventure is best visited by car or on a tour. The Mercer-Williams House Museum, while open to the public, is not highly excited about the home’s ghostly reputation, as well their association with the novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The current owner of the house, Dr. Dorothy Kingery (Williams' sister) is usually rather tight-lipped when it comes to stories about her notorious brother, and even more dismissive when it comes to paranormal activity at the house. In fact, she claims to have never had any experience of the supernatural kind.
The Ghosts of the Mercer-Williams House
But, five years later, reports of parties being held at the house began sprouting about. However, this is Savannah, one of the most haunted cities in the country. The biggest single event in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and maybe in the entire history of the house was the murder of Danny Lewis Hansford.
Drinking Tours
While 429 Bull Street certainly has all the makings of a haunted house, the current owner (and Williams's sister), Dorothy Kingery, focuses museum tours on the fabulous antiques and architectural details rather than any hauntings. That doesn't stop the ghost stories about the house from circulating, though. The Mercer House was designed by New York architect John S. Norris for General Hugh W. Mercer, great grandfather of Johnny Mercer. Construction of the house began in 1860, was interrupted by the Civil War and was later completed, circa 1868, by the new owner, John Wilder.
The Ghost of the Young Boy
Much like the well-maintained streets and squares, the homes throughout the city's historic district are nothing short of awe-inspiring. Their endurance is thanks to preservation efforts in the city, which gained a lot of traction in the 1960s—when famed restorationist and antique collector Jim Williams came to town. Williams's own former home at 429 Bull Street, which takes up the entire city block of Monterey square, is one of the most spectacular in Savannah. But in true Southern Gothic fashion, if you peel back the layers of historic charm, you'll find something sinister lurking underneath... Dr. Nathan Myrick, assistant professor and director of undergraduate studies, presented “Hardcore Hospitality at Furnace Fest” at the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association summit in Atlanta on March 22.
Museum tickets and entry are located behind the main house at 430 Whitaker Street. Although it’s rare, sometimes you can still find copies signed by the author at those two locations. The book by Dr. Kingery focuses on the many homes that Jim Williams preserved, both in Savannah and throughout the Lowcountry. I always thought she was generous to share her incredible home with visitors, and I appreciated her entrepreneurial spirit for capitalizing on all the hoopla surrounding the house.
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The tantalizing stories that unfolded behind its brick and plaster walls have benefitted the city of Savannah and its residents for decades — and there’s no end in sight. The windows of the basement level mirror the size of the window immediately above.
Imagine, you just got back from Walgreens Photo, and you're flipping through all the pictures you took while on your trip. Then, finally, you get to the photos of the Mercer-Williams House, and you once again find yourself marveling at just how majestic the home really is, but as you examine the photo more closely, it happens . His soul was clearly unable to move own, while the man who had killed him lived on as a free man. Which could be possible, especially when considering Williams' lifeless body was discovered in almost the same spot in which Danny had been shot dead, nearly a decade earlier. It's been alleged that Williams became so distraught by Hansford's lurking spirits, that he reached out to a voodoo practitioner to rid Hansford soul from the house. According to some, they do not believe the voodoo practitioner's cleansing of the house worked, as in their minds, it was the ghost of Danny Hansford who killed Jim Williams.
She did that to prevent people from using images of the home to promote tours and things of that nature. Jim Williams’ sister, Dr. Dorothy Williams Kingery, owned the home for decades after his death — although she came about it in a convoluted way. Since Williams was known for throwing large parties, and he particularly loved his elaborate Christmas Gala, visitors sometimes report seeing ghosts celebrating the holiday season at the Mercer House during the month of December. Many years after Wilder’s death there was a period of time where it was vacant.
Historic home tours part of Savannah Antiques and Architecture Weekend - Savannah Morning News
Historic home tours part of Savannah Antiques and Architecture Weekend.
Posted: Thu, 29 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
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. The young lad was impaled (in the skull, no less!) on the beautiful wrought iron fence surrounding the property. The property includes a rather large carriage house and a beautiful private courtyard.
Students recently presented the beginnings of this work at Mercer’s BEAR Day. Their paper was published in the conference proceedings, Psychological Applications and Trends 2024. By this point you clearly must be itching to visit this unquestionably haunted house.
The Story Behind the Mercer House From Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - House Beautiful
The Story Behind the Mercer House From Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Posted: Wed, 20 Oct 2021 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Using a symmetrical interior shape, Norris combined 15 foot ceilings with floor length windows to elongate the structure. It is also anchored with a 60 foot entrance hall that retains its original ceramic tile made in England at Stoke-on-Trent. The house and carriage house are both constructed with deep rose-colored bricks called ‘Philadelphia Reds’. Many of Jim Williams's antiques and furnishings were sold by his sister at a Sotheby's auction on October 20, 2000.[1][24] Where their locations in the house were known, they are mentioned in the relevant section below. The first floor has a double door with a French window on each side; the second floor has three windows and one door in the middle.[23] The section without a window is where the ballroom organ is installed. Mercer House (now the Mercer Williams House Museum) is located at 429 Bull Street in Savannah, Georgia.[3] Completed in 1868, it occupies the southwestern civic block of Monterey Square.
Like many of the historic houses in Savannah, there have been reports of paranormal activity at the Mercer-Williams. These reports usually include commonalities like apparitions, disembodied voices, phantom footsteps and that unnerving feeling that someone is watching you. About six months after his not guilty verdict, Williams, who was at home stricken with pneumonia, died from heart failure. He allegedly collapsed to his death near the spot were Hansford was shot dead.
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