What’s Lurking Behind That Historic Charm? The Mercer-Williams House (ft. Marcus Harvey)

Dark House

House Beautiful/Hearst

Religion & Spirituality, True Crime, Society & Culture

4.4 • 757 Ratings

🗓️ 20 October 2021

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Hadley takes listeners to the Spanish moss-veiled city of Savannah, Georgia, as she details the storied past and present of the Mercer-Williams House. Designed in 1860 and restored in 1969 by preservationist Jim Williams after years of abandonment, the Italianate revival that inspired Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil played host to a world famous antiques collection, and, more notably, at least three untimely deaths. It’s also supposedly built right on top of unmarked graves, like much of the city is. The house witnessed some of the city’s liveliest parties as well as some of its darkest secrets, and while it was the scene of the crime in a scandalous murder trial, it’s unclear whether it’s haunted by the spirits of those who died there, or simply by its reputation. To get a better understanding of the region and the hauntings that unfold in it, Hadley and Alyssa sit down with Ghost Brothers co-star and Georgia native Marcus Harvey (42:31). Having been on several paranormal investigations in Savannah, Harvey shares his insights on the energy of the city (49:30), as well as his thoughts on antiques being possessed (56:12), and how dealing with the paranormal has allowed him to be more spiritual (1:01:48). TW: Domestic abuse CONTRIBUTORS Host/Producer: Alyssa Fiorentino Host/Producer: Hadley Mendelsohn Producer: May Tsehay Sound Engineer: Josh Caldwell Interested in advertising with us? Please visit https://www.advertisecast.com/DarkHouse for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If the space is preserved, you have a very high chance of, you know, it being hunted.
0:08.9	Most of the haunted places that I've been to have been, like, buildings that have been there for hundreds of years through the test of time.
0:18.7	I'm Alyssa, and I'm Hadley.
0:21.2	We're two interior design editors obsessed with the paranormal.
0:24.9	This Halloween, we're stepping away from the beautiful homes we usually write about to tell a different kind of story.
0:30.2	From cursed cottages to abandoned estates, we're uncovering the twisted histories of America's most notorious homes.
0:38.0	So lock your doors and leave the lights on.
0:41.3	This is Dark House.
0:47.4	Hey, and welcome back to Dark House, episode four.
0:50.4	If you're a new listener, my name is Hadley, and this is my co-host, Alyssa.
0:54.1	We've been researching the most haunted houses across America and telling their backstories.
0:58.3	And this week, it's my turn.
0:59.9	So, Alyssa, you probably still haven't figured out which one I've picked her.
1:03.1	I don't want to discredit you.
1:04.0	Maybe you have.
1:05.1	But I haven't.
1:06.7	Okay, then I'm going to give you one final clue.
1:09.0	Hit me. So this house is straight out of one of my favorite literary genres, Southern Gothic.
1:15.1	Do you have like a book example for me?
1:17.9	Well, funny you say that because this is actually based on a book.
1:20.8	Okay.
1:21.3	So just think of that general region and think of a place maybe instead of a book.
	...

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