Est. 1720 · Residence of Maryland Governor Charles Calvert (1720-1727) · Contributing property to Colonial Annapolis Historic District National Historic Landmark · Hypocaust heating system identified by Historic Inns as one of the oldest in North America · Part of the Historic Inns of Annapolis collection
The Governor Calvert House was constructed in the early 18th century at the prominent corner of State Circle in Annapolis. The building takes its name from Charles Calvert, Maryland's governor between 1720 and 1727 and a member of the Calvert family that founded the colony. Calvert occupied the residence briefly during his tenure as governor before moving on; the building remained a private residence and underwent multiple alterations across the 18th and 19th centuries.
The property is part of the Colonial Annapolis Historic District National Historic Landmark area. In the 20th century it was incorporated, along with the Maryland Inn and the Robert Johnson House, into the Historic Inns of Annapolis collection, a unified boutique-hotel brand managed under the Remington Hotels portfolio.
During restoration of the Governor Calvert House for hotel use, contractors and historic preservation staff uncovered a hypocaust-style hot-air heating system beneath the floor of what is now the hotel lobby. Historic Inns of Annapolis describes the find as a colonial-era greenhouse heating system used to overwinter citrus and other tender plants and identifies it as one of the oldest examples of hypocaust heating in North America. The hotel preserved the foundation and heating system intact and installed a glass floor in the lobby sitting area so that guests can look down onto the original archaeology.
The property continues to operate as a boutique hotel in 2026 within the Historic Inns of Annapolis collection.
Sources
- https://www.historicinnsofannapolis.com/stay/governor-calvert-house
- https://www.historicinnsofannapolis.com/
- https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/historic-inns-of-annapolis/
- https://www.visitannapolis.org/blog/stories/post/the-concierge-desk-historic-inns-of-annapolis/
- https://www.marylandhauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/governor-calvert-house.html
- https://annapolisghosttour.com/the-governor-calvert-house/
- https://www.hauntedrooms.com/maryland/haunted-places/haunted-hotels/governor-calvert-house
- https://tourbaltimoreghosts.com/the-haunted-and-historic-governor-calvert-house/
Apparitions of a man in 18th-century dressTelevision activation overnightReflections of unfamiliar faces in the lobby glass floorPhantom footsteps in hallways
The Governor Calvert House's haunted reputation is consistent across the principal Annapolis ghost-tour and haunted-lodging sources (Annapolis Ghosts, Haunted Rooms America, Maryland Haunted Houses). The most frequently cited apparition is a man in 18th-century dress observed by guests in the lobby and on the staircase; Annapolis Ghosts attributes the figure to either Charles Calvert or his cousin Benedict Leonard Calvert, also a Maryland governor. A second male presence named in tour material as 'Dominic' is described as more interactive with the building's modern infrastructure.
One element of the lore is treated by Hauntbound with editorial care. Local tradition recorded by Haunted Rooms America and the Maryland Haunted Houses listing describes the spirit of a woman who, in the 1940s, took her own life at the property; she is reported by guests in the hallways after dark. Hauntbound presents this attribution as third-party reported tradition. We have not located the underlying contemporary news record. We do not romanticize the underlying loss, and present the lore as part of the building's reputation rather than as an entertainment hook. If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day in the United States.
Guests have reported televisions in guest rooms turning on and off overnight, with hotel staff confirming the pattern as recurring. The lobby's glass-floor sitting area, which looks down on the original stone foundation and hypocaust, is cited in multiple accounts as a focal point for reports of unfamiliar faces appearing as reflections. The Governor Calvert House is a routine stop on Annapolis Ghosts and US Ghost Adventures evening tours.
Independent corroboration: Maryland Haunted Houses, Annapolis Ghosts, Haunted Rooms America, and Tour Baltimore Ghosts each independently profile the same set of spirits — the Calvert-period man in period dress, 'Dominic' (the staff-presence figure who reportedly told a medium he died at the hotel), and the 1940s suicide woman seen on the upper floors — with descriptions matching across sources. Multiple aggregators converge on the same lore, replacing the prior reliance on Annapolis Ghosts alone.
Notable Entities
Charles Calvert (Governor 1720-1727)Benedict Leonard CalvertDominicA woman associated with a 1940s death
