
Murder at the Mercer House
Posted: 05.20.2021 | Updated: 01.30.2025

While most of the ghosts in and around Savannah stem from the Civil War Era, the spirits at the Mercer House are recent arrivals to the city. There are two prominent deaths in the Mercer House.
One was accidental, the other was murder. The accident involved a young boy who slipped off of the roof and the murder involves an influential Savannah resident.
In this blog we will discuss these tragedies and the ghosts haunting the Mercer House because of them. Before we continue, book your spot on Savannah Terrors to get an up-close and personal look at these hauntings!
What Happened At The Mercer House?
Williams and Hansford were lovers in a rocky relationship. After an incredibly heated argument, Williams shot Hansford in the study room of the Mercer House, claiming self-defense. Williams was eventually set free, dying in the house eight months later. The Mercer House has been haunted ever since, with ghost sightings of both Hansford and Williams reported by guests.
Long before Williams moved in, a young boy named Tommy Downs climbed onto the roof of the Mercer House to watch the birds. He lost his step, fell off the side of the roof, and was impaled on the iron gate below.
General Mercer and the Civil War
Well-known houses around Savannah and the South share the name of the first family that lived in them, usually a family of prominence. This should apply to the Mercer House as well, but nobody with the name Mercer ever lived in the house.
The Mercer House was originally built for General Hugh Weedon Mercer, but the construction was halted due to the outbreak of the Civil War. General Mercer went to fight for the Confederacy and was briefly imprisoned after being captured, along with other prominent Confederate leaders.
Upon his release, he returned to Savannah but didn’t return to the Mercer House. General Mercer sold the unfinished structure to John Wilder, who completed the house in 1868.
The Death of Tommy Downs
In 1969, a young boy named Tommy Downs wandered into the Mercer House. Like many of the buildings in Savannah’s historic district, the house would remain vacant and rotting. Tommy explored the building, eventually making it onto the roof.
He was an avid bird chaser, and he probably climbed onto the roof to catch pigeons. Unfortunately, Tommy slipped and fell from the roof onto the spikes of the iron gate surrounding the house, the spikes piercing his head and body.
Try as they could, the paramedics couldn’t save him. They cut through the spikes in an attempt to free Tommy’s body from the gate. He died on the scene. Two of the spikes are still broken to this day.
The Murder of Danny Hansford
Jimmy Williams bought the house in 1969 and restored it over the course of two years, eventually making it his home. Williams was one of the city’s earliest and most prominent preservationists, having restored over 50 homes around Savannah.
Williams was well-known around town and would often throw big parties. The parties at the Mercer House were like a who’s-who of Savannah, and some of the city’s most prominent people were usually in attendance. It was at one of these parties where Williams met Danny Hansford.
Danny and Jimmy became lovers, but their relationship was rocky. Danny was a sex worker and had a dark past. The two often argued, and their relationship came to a crux when the couple got into an especially vicious argument in 1981.

Williams and Hansford had been arguing all day. After the two separated in an attempt to cool down, Hansford knocked over the 18th century English grandfather clock in the foyer.
He then stormed into the study, where Williams was reading, and pulled a gun on Williams. Hansford pulled the trigger, but the gun jammed. Williams then pulled out his own firearm and shot Hansford, who died on the scene.
Williams called the police thirty minutes after the murder, leading the police to believe that Williams tampered with the scene to back up his claims of self-defense. He was charged with murder, and his case went to trial four times before he was eventually acquitted in 1989, eight years after being convicted.
James Williams died in his home eight months later due to pneumonia and heart failure.
The murder was portrayed in John Berendt’s 1994 book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The book was adapted into a Clint Eastwood movie in 1997.
The Ghosts of the Mercer House
Williams claimed that Danny Hansford’s ghost haunted the Mercer House, his ghost reportedly angry, even more so when Williams was acquitted. Williams supposedly reached out to a voodoo practitioner for help, hoping to exorcise the ghost – this proved to be fruitless.
Many believe that Danny’s spirit was responsible for the death of James Williams. Ironically, Williams’ body was found in the foyer near the study where Hansford was killed.
Guests say they can feel Danny’s vengeful spirit upon entry, as well as a feeling of eyes on them. His apparition usually appears in the study, though sometimes people have seen him walking down the halls. The sound of phantom footsteps and mysterious voices come with his appearance.
Williams haunts the house as well, often seen in the foyer or the study. Guests also claim to see memories of Williams’ wild parties, especially on Christmas. Williams threw his last Christmas party in 1989 after his acquittal.
Yet, a few months after his death, neighbors reported that the parties continued, even though the house was empty. They claim to have heard live music and saw people dancing through the windows, but found the house empty upon taking a closer look. If you pass by the Mercer House during the holidays, you may catch the residual memories of one of these parties.
The ghost of Tommy Downs also manifests in the Mercer House. Many report seeing a young boy standing on the roof or on the balcony or standing at the windows. Tourists who pass by and take photos have caught images of Tommy in the windows or standing near the house.
Some claim to see the memory of Tommy falling from the roof to his death, the poor kid’s death on the repeating over and over in their head.
Haunted Savannah
The Mercer House is now a museum, run by Dorothy Kingery, John Williams’ sister. She’s not keen on the hauntings of the Mercer House and supposedly keeps her lips tight about the murder and any alleged ghosts, claiming she has have never experienced any paranormal occurrences in the house. Unsurprisingly, she’s not a fan of Berendt’s book.
This is just one of Savanna’s haunted houses and as one of the most haunted towns east of the Mississippi, it’s a ghost hunter’s paradise. Interested in a trip to Savannah?
Spend a night at the East Bay Inn where you’ll meet Charlie, a friendly ghost who inhabits the hotel, and while he might be nice, he’s quite mischievous. He’s notorious for stealing guests’ personal belongings.
This is just one of the many spooky spots in Savannah, check out the top ten most haunted spots in Savannah for more!
Book your tour with Savannah Terrors to get an insider scoop and in-person look at some of these spots while you’re in the city. Follow our blog, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram for more spooky places!
Sources:
- https://discover.hubpages.com/politics/The-Shooting-of-Danny-Hansford
- https://mercerhouse.com/about
- https://savannahfirsttimer.com/mercer-williams-house/
- https://imgur.com/xy5yPZI
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SKYLIGHT_IN_STAIRWELL_-_Mercer-Wilder_House,_429_Bull_Street,_Savannah,_Chatham_County,_GA_HABS_GA,26-SAV,75-5.tif
- https://www.savannahnow.com/story/entertainment/2021/07/21/jim-williams-savannah-ga-midnight-garden-good-evil-mercer-house-hbo-max-kevin-spacey-clint-eastwood/8029996002/
- https://www.crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/classics/mercer_house/5.html
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