Construction began in 1860 for General Hugh W. Mercer, grandfather of musician Johnny Mercer. Interrupted by the Civil War, it was completed in 1868 for John R. Wilder. When Jim Williams, a dedicated private restorationist and international art dealer bought the Mercer House in early 1969, it had been vacant almost a decade. The Carriage House on the right has been turned into an antique shop.
As a private residence it had many celebrity visitors, including Margaret Thatcher, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Ladybird Johnson, and General Colin Powell.
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