The Haunted And Historic Governor Calvert House
Posted: 10.22.2024 | Updated: 10.22.2024
Do you value a good night’s sleep? Well, you won’t find it at the Governor Calvert House. Once the home of Lord Charles Calvert, it is now one of three historic homes owned by Historic Inns of Annapolis. Besides the world-class hospitality of Maryland, the Governor Calvert House is a looking glass into 18th-century life. Consequentially, more so than many are prepared for.
The Governor Calvert House is known for its glass floor in the lobby. Visitors can peer into Charles Calvert’s prized possession, his enigmatic greenroom. Maryland’s 14th governor built the house and the room to grow oranges and other tropical fruits. But the true purpose of this room remains a mystery. What is not in question are the hauntings of the Governor Calvert House. However, many have seen reflections of phantom faces appear while looking through the glass floor.
Guests have reported waking up in agony, painfully tortured by a demon-like presence in their sleep. Apparitions of 18th-century gentlemen meander through the hallways of the 1720 brick building. More so, the most disturbing is the confirmed existence of a perverted spirit—one who knows he is dead but prefers to stay in the hotel to watch others undress.
Baltimore Ghosts invites you to journey into this portal where the dead continue to mingle with the living. Book a walking Annapolis or Baltimore ghost tour the next time you are in Maryland!
Who Haunts The Governor Calvert House?
The Governor Calvert House is haunted by numerous lost souls. Above all, a man wearing clothing from when the building was built roams the hallways. Many believe he is Charles Calvert or his younger cousin, Benedict Leonard Calvert. Many have seen spectral visages through the glass floor in the lobby. Also, Strange sounds at night have been reported from nearly all corners of the hotel, especially in the attic. Then, there is the disturbed spirit of a former hotel worker who enjoys watching others undress.
Hauntings of The Governor Calvert House
- Lord Calvert, Charles, or Benedict
- Faces in the glass floor
- Noises in the attic
- Demonic presence in Room 3202
- Perverted Hotel Worker
- A spirit that turns on TVs
Who Was Governor Calvert?
We must look at who built the Governor Calvert House and Historic Inn to understand why it is as haunted as it is.
Captain Charles Calvert was the 14th Proprietary Governor of Maryland. He was appointed to this position after the Calvert family of the Lords Baltimore reclaimed their ownership of the colony.
The Calvert family had been ruling over Maryland since 1632. Various religious wars in England between Protestants and Catholics had taken the colony from them on many occasions. The Calverts were devout Catholics. England became a Protestant nation in 1688 during the Glorious Revolution, and the colony fell into the hands of the British Crown.
Charles Calvert converted to Anglicanism and vowed to worship the Church of England in 1720 to restore his family's ownership of the colony. This conversion immensely helped reduce religious tension in Maryland.
But his most outstanding achievement was the construction of his illustrious home. Initially, the structure was a one-and-a-half-story building for Calvert and his family. In 1727, he was replaced by his younger cousin, Benedict Leonard Calvert. Much to his dismay, he was forced to leave his home. Benedict lived in the house until Samuel Ogle replaced him as Governor in 1731.
Both Calvert’s died at a young age, Charles of early senility in 1734 and Benedict of Tuberculosis in 1731. Benedict was noted to be a heavy drinker and a troubled individual.
Charles was certainly not happy about losing his position. Both cannot move on from this house and have been seen walking the halls of their beloved home. But they are joined by others. Who are they?
Further History of The Calvert House
The Calvert House remained in the family after Benedict passed away. Later, Benedict Swingate Calvert, another Lord Baltimore, gained ownership of the house and the colony in 1748. In 1752 and again in 1764, the house was struck by lighting. The latter caused a disastrous fire, and the home was rebuilt in the Georgian style seen today.
A new state house was completed in 1772, and the Calvert House no longer served as a Governor’s mansion. In 1766, it was a mercantile firm. 1784, it was used as a barracks for the state’s military. Throughout the 1800s, it was used as an office space, particularly in 1843, for a printing press. In the 1850s, it was the private residence of Annapolis’s Mayor, Abram Claude. The early 1900s saw it becoming an apartment complex and private homes.
The University of Maryland and Historic Annapolis Foundation made an odd discovery in 1982. A hypocaust, a type of greenhouse heating system, was unearthed beneath the subflooring of what is now the hotel lobby. This archaic heating system originated in Rome and was used to grow oranges and other citrus fruits. The hypocaust at the Calvert House is believed to be the oldest example in North America.
The hotel opened in 1985 after major renovations as a four-story hotel. Today, guests can view the Holocaust through the glass floor in the lobby. But beware, as more terrifying images lie within the glass than most expect.
Hauntings of Governor Calvert’s House
Many historic Governor Calvet’s House Hotel visitors have stared at the mesmerizing glass floor. However, those who stare too long are often met with the unexpected smiles of those long dead. Some believe that the spirits themselves are housed within the glass. Renovations frequently bring up troubled souls from their final rest.
Apparitions of a man dressed in 18th-century garb have been repeatedly seen in the lobby. Could Charles Calvert be returning to check on his prized possession, the rare hypocaust?
There are many stories of spirits and other entities haunting Governor Calvert’s House. Besides the Governor, a man named Dominic reportedly refuses to move on from the hotel. Psychics have connected with his troubled spirit and found that he relishes the fact he is dead.
Some stories state he died in the 1940s, taking his own life. Others said that he was a disgruntled hotel employee. But all agree that he is devilish and perverted. He takes full advantage of his position as a spirit, using every second of his eternal life to spy on hotel guests getting undressed.
Haunted Rooms At The Historic Annapolis Inn
These sightings and stories are strange and disturbing enough. But what’s even worse is what has been reported within the Governor Calvert Houses’ 39 rooms. Multiple guests have come to the front desk complaining about their TVs acting oddly. However, it is not something that a maintenance specialist can fix quickly.
One hotel spirit has a fondness for turning the TVs on and off. After it did this three times in a row one night, a bewildered guest yelled at this ghost, “OK, you have our attention now. " The playful spirit stopped their charade immediately after. Another guest was awoken during the night to their TV blasting. Needless to say, they did not sleep well that night.
One of the most vicious spirits of The Governor Calvert House is the entity residing in Room 3202. In a scene out of a movie, one couple found themselves alone on the third floor of the hotel in 2020. Throughout the night, they heard disturbing bumps and footsteps in the hallway. The husband noticed a pungent, oily smell that filled the air. Only he could smell it, however. It was an ominous foreshadowing of the events about to unfold.
When they went to bed, the horror in Room 3202 came out to play. The husband awoke to his wife screaming in horror. He had been moaning in anguish for several minutes and even talking angrily in his sleep, an unusual activity for the general calm sleeper.
The man recalled in the morning that he was having terrible nightmares. One involved a horrific murder. The other featured a demonic, animal-like creature. His wife had the same dreams.
The two have yet to return to the hotel.
Haunted Maryland
The Governor Calvert House and Annapolis Historic Inn is a quaint and historic stay. But don’t let its welcoming and slightly musty veneer fool you. The hotel is home to spirits and ghosts from across Maryland’s history. The origins of these souls may remain a mystery, but their stories live on forever.
Learn more stories about haunted Maryland on a tour with Baltimore Ghosts! Or, perhaps, consider heading to Annapolis for a walking ghost tour leading you right past Governor Calvert’s old haunt.
Whatever you decide, keep reading our blog to learn about Maryland’s haunted history. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for even more spooky content!
Sources:
https://dbpedia.org/page/Charles_Calvert_(governor)
https://www.hauntedrooms.com/maryland/haunted-places/haunted-hotels/governor-calvert-house
https://www.historicinnsofannapolis.com/history
http://www.aia.umd.edu/calvert.html
https://theclio.com/entry/174579
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