Posted on by Lewis Powell IV

Brice House Photos–Annapolis, Maryland

Brice House
42 East Street
Annapolis, Maryland

N.B. This article was edited and revised 25 February 2019.

The Brice House is one of three large, brick, and quite similarly designed, Georgian houses in Annapolis (the others being the William Paca House and the Hammond-Harwood House). According to various sources, all three are haunted, but the best information I have found so far, attests to the haunting of the Brice House.

The house was erected between 1766 and 1773 by Colonel James Brice who would later serve two-terms as mayor of Annapolis and acting governor for the state of Maryland in 1792. The house remained in the family until the 1870s and passed through other private hands until the 1920s when St. John’s College purchased it. Restoration began in the 1950s under private ownership. The house is now owned by the International Masonry Institute which uses the flanking pavilions. The main house is occasionally open for tours. The house was named a National Historic Landmark in 1970.

I have covered three haunted local taverns in my article, “One nation, under the table–The haunted taverns of Annapolis.”

haunted Brice House Annapolis ghosts
The Brice House, 2009. The house is made up of five parts, the large main house, two pavilions with “hyphens” that connect the pavilions to the main house. Photo by Wikipedia user, Pubdog. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
haunted Brice House Annapolis ghosts
First floor reception hall and staircase. Two of the spirits have been identified as one of the sons of Col. Brice and his manservant. The elderly son is said to have been murdered by the manservant. Photo by Jack Boucher, 1964, for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
haunted Brice House Annapolis ghosts
Dining Room. The spirit of James Brice is said to be wandering this house, possibly checking up on the upkeep of his manse. Photo taken by Jack Boucher, 1964, for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
haunted Brice House Annapolis ghosts
Ballroom. The spirit of a young woman has frequently been seen wandering from room to room. During restoration work in the 1970s, a skeleton of a woman was discovered in a sealed, closet-like room. Photo by Jack Boucher, 1964, for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
haunted Brice House Annapolis ghosts
The ballroom from a different angle. Photo taken for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Sources

  • Brice House (Annapolis, Maryland). Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 22 October 2010.
  • Heintzelman, Patricia. National Register of Historic Places Nomination form for the Brice House. Listed 15 April 1970.
  • Jarvis, Sharon. Dead Zones. NYC: Warner Books, 1992.