Mercer Williams House Museum

Why go

John S. Norris designed the house for General Hugh Weedon Mercer, but the Civil War delayed completion. Jim Williams later restored the long-vacant building, and John Berendt's book made its later history famous. Its place on Monterey Square lets you see how a single house became both architectural landmark and literary landmark.

What to look for

• The brick mansion anchors the southwest side of Monterey Square.
• The restored interiors reflect Jim Williams's work as a Savannah preservationist.
• The house is closely associated with Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

The full story

Construction of the house began for Hugh Weedon Mercer before the Civil War, but the interruption meant another owner completed it after the conflict. The mansion's later history is equally central to its appeal. After years of different uses and vacancy, preservationist Jim Williams bought it in 1969 and restored it. The restored interiors became associated with the events retold in John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which brought new attention to Savannah. The book's notoriety should not flatten the building into a crime-scene curiosity: its design and rescue also tell a story about changing attitudes to the city's old houses. Monterey Square gives a clear exterior view, while an interior tour adds the rooms and furnishings connected to Williams. The two ways of seeing it answer different interests.

Useful to know

• View the square and facade first, then tour if the restoration or book interests you.
• Use the museum's stated visitor entrance on Whitaker Street and check current tour times before going.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.