The eccentric preservationist who saved Savannah's skyline and became a literary icon

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: James Arthur Williams was more than an antiques dealer; he was a man of extreme contradictions. A dedicated restorer of historic mansions, he lived a life of high-society cotillions and bizarre public stunts, eventually becoming the centerpiece of a Pulitzer-finalist novel about his own mysterious legal battles.

Born in 1930, Williams became a pivotal figure in the preservation of Savannah's Historic District. Starting in 1955 at age 24, he began restoring buildings on East Congress Street. Over three and a half decades, his portfolio expanded to more than fifty homes across Georgia and South Carolina, including notable landmarks like the Odingsells House and the Hampton Lillibridge House.

His wealth was significantly bolstered by a shrewd real estate move in 1968: he purchased the 1,800-acre Cabbage Island for $5,000 and later sold it for $900,000. This fortune allowed him to acquire Mercer House in 1969—an Italianate mansion that had sat vacant for nearly a decade. He spent two years restoring the property, where he eventually ran his antiques business from the basement.

Williams's life was marked by eccentricity and legal turmoil. In 1979, he famously hung a Nazi flag outside his home to disrupt a film shoot as a protest against a lack of donation to a local humane society. His notoriety peaked in 1981 when he was arrested for the alleged murder of Danny Hansford. Despite spending 22 months in prison, Williams was acquitted in 1989 after four trials—a record for the state of Georgia.

His complex persona lived on through literature. John Berendt’s 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' captured Williams as a brilliant, bitter storyteller with an ironic sense of humor. While Hollywood later portrayed him as a somber figure, Berendt noted that the real Williams was a vivid character who regaled guests with stories in his living room, often while under the influence of Valium during his legal battles.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• How a single book transformed the atmosphere and economy of Savannah
• Mississippi-born playwright of Glass Menagerie fame
• The secret purchase of a town to preserve its past
• A city where three centuries of architecture share a single block
• From chemical engineering to the mayoralty of Atlanta
• The San Antonio prodigy rewriting the history of the boxing ring
• The Panamanian boxer who conquered the lightweight division twice
• How a Brazilian Port City Became the Easternmost Point of the Americas
• The village that served as a sanctuary for a baseball legend
• The baseball pioneer who hit 40 home runs and stole 40 bases in 1988
• How one private family conglomerate came to dominate the economy of an entire province
• How a simple linguistic error gave a Florida town its celestial name

More in Americas · More in Countries & Cities · Latest · A–Z · All topics