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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 Infamous Jim Williams
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.
Video Archives: Jim Williams convicted of Savannah's 'Midnight' murder in 1982 - WJCL News Savannah
Video Archives: Jim Williams convicted of Savannah's 'Midnight' murder in 1982.
Posted: Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Savannah, GA
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.
“The Book” is not off limits on Mercer-Williams House Museum or at the Tours, but Kingery says it’s just a blip.
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'Midnight in the Garden' 25 years later – District.
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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.
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.
Mercer Williams House Museum
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.
(entrance located behind the main house at 430 Whitaker Street)
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.
Perhaps the museum manager is simply playing the organ to keep busy during a night shift. Dr. Sevcik also facilitated a workshop at the Georgia College & State University Women’s Leadership Conference titled “Emotional Labor and Emotional Well-Being in Leadership Collaborations” on March 29. The Lady Chablis is one of the few real-life people featured in Berendt’s book to play herself in the movie adaptation, but she was no stranger to the limelight. Also known as “The Doll” or “The Grand Empress,” Chablis headlined Pride parades and fundraisers, and published an autobiography, Hiding My Candy, in 1996, a year before her big screen debut. Chablis was Club One’s very first entertainer, officiating the 1988 grand opening, and performed regularly until her 2016 death. Although the scenes of voodoo practitioner Minerva working her magic before (and after) midnight weren’t technically in Bonaventure Cemetery proper, Bonaventure is by far the best place to convene with the spirits within the city limits.
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.
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.
The beautiful Mercer Williams House is located on the southwest corner of Monterey Square and is one of the only homes in Savannah’s Historic District that takes up a full city block. I’m going to give you a quick rundown on its history, talk about the haunted factor, and fill you in on a few of the deaths the have occurred on the property (Hansford’s wasn’t the only one). The study, where the shooting of Danny Hansford took place, is at the front left of the house, the side bounded by West Gordon Street to the south.[28] A Louis XV ormolu-mounted Boulle marquetry bracket clock with conforming bracket hung on the wall of the study. It was signed by Laurent Dey, a master of the Paris Clockmakers' Guild. In front of the clock was a white statuary marble bust of Edward VII, English, dated 1906, by Walter Merrett, on a late-19th-century green marble column.[24] There is also a fireplace in this room, on its southern wall. Dr. Yahya A. Acar, assistant professor and director of simulation, has been awarded the Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator certification by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.
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.
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.
Dr. Robert J. Gill, lecturer of mechanical engineering, presented “Utilization of Recorded Student Narrated Solutions of Homework in Thermodynamics” at the 2024 American Society for Engineering Education Southeastern Sectional Annual Conference on March 11. The beautiful garden has expansive lawns and a terrace with a seating area, as well as a tennis court, a koi point, and a vegetable and flower garden where the family can grow their own produce. Another bedroom has access to a private balcony, and also benefits from a log-burning fireplace and its own seating area. There are eight bathrooms in the main property, including a master suite with its own sitting area and fireplace, and separate his and hers bathrooms, including a salon hair station in one suite. The library features wood-panelled walls with built-in shelving, cosy reading nooks and window seats, and vaulted ceilings.
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.
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