The James Brice House: A Haunting Renovation

Posted: 12.09.2024 | Updated: 12.09.2024

An elegant home protrudes on 42 East Street in Annapolis, Maryland. Considered one of the largest and finest of Annapolis’ historic mansions, the James Brice House harbors an array of magnificent architectural features behind its walls. This five-part Georgian abode contains a lavish drawing room, a mahogany staircase, and multiple plaster cornices and paneling. 

Yet behind its sturdy brick exterior and refined interior, many darker secrets remain hidden. Like many historic homes, the past of this magnificent brick mansion is not pristine. Sadly, its construction was built not just with the hands of paid tradesmen but by enslaved individuals forced into labor. But we know many facts about the Brice House: how many shingles were purchased, how many bricks it took to build, and their cost — but whatever darker elements may have unfolded throughout this home’s history have remained unwritten.

The Brice House and its ghostly residents are just one of many spooky stories that haunt Annapolis. To hear more terrifying tales of Crabtown’s secrets, consider booking an Annapolis ghost tour. A walking ghost tour with Annapolis Ghosts will inform you of all this colonial-era city has to offer, the spectrally inclined. 

Who Haunts the James Brice House? 

Of the numerous haunted spots in Annapolis, the James Brice House is distinguished for its various ghosts. James Brice and his son Thomas are said to haunt the walls of this massive brick mansion. 

Most disturbing of all is the visage of a girl seen in the window, said to be the same young woman whose bones were found in the walls of this very house. You’ll find that few locals will dare walk by the Brice House late at night, as you never know what one might hear — or see inside.

The James Brice House History: Brick by Brick

James Brice had many titles. He was a member of Maryland’s Executive council for numerous years, acting Governor in 1792, a lawyer, a county officer, and a plantation owner.

Work commenced on the James Brice House on April 14th, 1767, when its cornerstone, aptly marked “The Beginning,” was placed. According to Brice’s incredibly detailed ledger recording its construction, it would be seven years before this grand house was completed, taking 326,000 bricks and over 90,000 shingles.

His book also detailed the laborers who helped construct his home. Some were employed — others were not. Assessments estimate up to 28 enslaved people were forced to labor in the construction, among other various workers.

Brice’s ledger from 1767 itemizes the names and payments to vendors and laborers who aided in the assembly of his house. Some molded clay into bricks, others mixed plaster to line his home’s interior, and still, more trim and bell cranks were installed. His detailed records give a total of nine brick layers. 

James Brice died in 1801, leaving his family overdrawn and owing debts. Still, the home stayed in the hands of the Brice family until the Martin family acquired it in the 1870s. From there, ownership was transferred many times. 

The proprietors of the Carvel Hall Hotel purchased the property in 1911. In 1927, St. John’s College obtained it and converted it to faculty living quarters. Then the Wohl family restored it to single-family use in 1953. It was later bought it in 1979 by the International Masonry Institute.

Finally, the home was secured in 2014 by the state of Maryland and entrusted to Historic Annapolis to manage, maintain, and restore this National Historic Landmark.  

A Family Haunt with Many Secrets

Many consider the Brice House to be the most haunted residence in Annapolis, and it’s quite apparent why. Several hauntings and apparitions have been reported around the Brice House.

The home’s namesake, James Brice, is thought to walk the halls of his former home. And these sightings are nothing new — James Brice’s wife claimed to see him after he died, as did residents of St. John’s College. Whether he wanders in some spectral loop, detached from the living, or simply to check in and ensure current residents are caring for his beloved home remains a mystery. 

Additionally, two more spirits are believed to be James Brice’s son and his manservant. Why are these two locked to this location? Some say the manservant murdered James’ son, and thus both remain fixed to the site. Rumor has it the transgression occurred in the library, where the two spirits are sometimes sighted.

Yet the house seemingly contains even more puzzling histories hidden within its walls. Many claim that during a restoration in the 1970s, the remains of a woman were uncovered. Some surmise she might have been killed by one of Brice’s sons, given her bizarre choice of burial. Consequentially, an unlucky few have declared to hear the sounds of her cries and screams emanating from the basement.

Even stranger are the artifacts uncovered during a more recent excavation. In the summer of 1998, Archeology in Annapolis began excavating the home. In the east wing of the house, a concentration of artifacts was revealed beneath a doorway that divided two rooms. 

Researchers concluded the artifacts to have been deliberately placed beneath the brick floor. After conducting research, excavators found the artifacts to be related to Hoodoo, a set of African American folk beliefs. 

Enslaved Occupants and Hoodoo Folk Magic 

African Americans lived throughout this area in the 18th and 19th centuries, bringing with them a variety of beliefs and practices. 

A type of African American folk magic, Hoodoo consisted of multiple beliefs, including that spirits could be drawn on to promote luck, alleviate sickness, and predict what the future held. Hoodoo utilized the concept that simple, day-to-day items could be wielded to conjure spirits for their help and protection. 

Spirits might be conjured for many reasons — to heal, to help find lost things, or sometimes to defend against threats. What purpose the artifacts found in The Brice House were used for remains a mystery. Might it have been simply to protect the enslaved people within it from harm? Or was revenge warranted towards one of the more brutal masters?

Among the cache of artifacts was a collection of coins, fabric scraps, beads, buttons, seashells, a matchstick, and a perfume bottle packed with earth and seed. These findings were lodged in a kitchen and laundry room below the slave and servant quarters. Excavators found other objects beneath doorways and near fireplaces. 

Archaeologists soon realized the arrangement of the artifacts held a prominent significance. The objects were arranged in the shape of a cosmogram — an African form entailing a circle marked with a cross. This powerful symbol appeared to define the space as sacred, possibly where rituals were repeatedly conducted. 

Objects like these in Hoodoo beliefs commonly mark entrances, exits, and chimneys, as these are points where both people and spirits enter and exit. These make these sites crossroads between places, sometimes even this world and the other. Such is why you’ll hear many blues songs singing of a crossroads at night. 

Haunted Annapolis

Currently, Historic Annapolis is undergoing an extensive renovation of the Brice House, which will restore the back house to its 1774 state. Both the interior and exterior are receiving museum-grade restorations, so the house will appear just as it did when occupied by the Brice family. No signs of modern utilities will appear in any of the rooms once lived in by the family or enslaved residents. 

Likely, the ghosts will prefer things this way. Once restored, the house will be open for everything from public tours to exhibitions. Until then, however, you can book one of our Annapolis ghost tours with Annapolis Ghosts and descend on a haunted history walk. 

Continue reading our blog for more stories about historic haunts and ghostly venues, or follow us on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. 

Sources:

https://www.visitannapolis.org/listing/james-brice-house/6152

The spooky stories that haunt Annapolis

https://ourcommunitynow.com/P/ghost-tour-5-most-haunted-spots-in-annapolis

James Brice House

https://savingplaces.org/stories/a-cup-of-rum-and-other-reasons-one-of-annapolis-greatest-historic-houses-is-worth-celebrating

Brice House Photos–Annapolis, Maryland

https://historygoesbump.blogspot.com/2016/07

http://www.aia.umd.edu/brice.html

https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/27/science/slave-artifacts-under-the-hearth.html

https://archive.archaeology.org/0005/newsbriefs/hoodoo.html

James Brice House: Restoration Updates