The US Naval Institute

Posted: 02.05.2025 | Updated: 11.06.2025

For centuries, the US Naval Institute has been a pinnacle of Navy history and tradition. It happens to be in Annapolis, Maryland. Those of you who served will probably have already guessed that this blog post will cover its haunted history.

If you haven’t served, ask any Maryland native who has been to the Institute. “Have you ever experienced anything strange there?” The name “Jimmy Sutton” may ring a bell, too, as he’s supposedly behind some very odd occurrences in Annapolis.

Keep reading to discover the dark secrets behind the US Naval Institute. After that, book your in-person ghost tour with Annapolis Ghosts and prepare for a fun and frightening adventure!

Is the US Naval Institute Haunted?

It’s difficult to say. The Institute has seen a lot of changes over the years during times when record-keeping was less extensive. So it’s anyone’s guess. But one thing is for sure: People keep leaving the Institute with some very strange tales indeed!

• Doors slamming shut on their own
• Random cold spots, even on warm days
• People being pushed down stairs by invisible hands

The site has become quite famous in ghost-hunting circles. A popular TV show actually sent a crew over there to investigate it! 

US Naval Institute History

Despite its current grandeur and status, the United States Navy has humble origins. It began in 1776, after the declaration of war on Great Britain. At first, the US Navy was nothing more than a handful of converted merchant ships crewed by dissidents and smugglers.

Of course, over the centuries, it has grown in both power and esteem and is now the world’s best navy, boasting the largest fleet and most technologically advanced equipment. In fact, after the United States Air Force, the United States Navy is also the world’s largest air force. 

And nowhere is the Navy’s rise more evident than in the United States Naval Institute. A group of officers started the Institute in 1873 to meet and discuss the state of the nation after the Civil War.

The Civil War changed naval warfare forever with the introduction of steel ships, and these officers were discussing how to implement the new technology and scale down the Navy to be as efficient as possible. 

The Institute was designed to host similar forums in the future. Its headquarters are in Annapolis, Maryland, and its site is suitably impressive, with a sweeping view of the Severn River and its cemetery, which hosts some of the Navy’s finest heroes. Today, the Institute has over 100,000 constituents and has, at various points in its history, served as a field hospital and even a home for the mentally disturbed.

Hauntings at the Institute

But over the years, the US Naval Institute has seen many things that it was never meant to and played host to tragic events and strange phenomena. These strange happenings have given the US Naval Institute an eerie vibe in an otherwise proper place. These mysterious occurrences happen all over the Institute and range from the inconvenient to the terrifying. 

Doorknobs have been known to jiggle aggressively right before you touch it. Sometimes, the doors they’re attached to will even slam shut behind you if whoever’s controlling the door doesn’t want you entering the area. 

Who could be behind these shenanigans with the doors? Of course, prankster students would be likely culprits, but, given that these “pranks” have happened in well-lit areas that would be almost impossible to hide someone in, that seems unlikely. 

Another theory is that these are the souls of some of the Navy’s sailors, still keeping watch over their hallowed grounds and protecting them from those they see as trespassers. 

But doorknobs aren’t the only things known to go haywire at the Naval Institute. The very temperature inside the place can change at the drop of a hat. Many visitors and staff alike have reported feeling “cold spots” in the building as if the air around them suddenly drops and they feel freezing. 

These cold spots don’t care about the seasons or temperature outside as they’re as likely to be encountered on warm summer days and snowy winter nights. Cold spots are a common phenomenon in haunted buildings.

Other occurrences exist,​​ too. Lights are known to fall from their fixtures. The sounds of boots stomping echo throughout the place when it’s empty. One employee even reported being pushed down the stairs by an unseen, invisible person.

Is Jimmy Sutton Still Around?

Who could be behind all of this? Ghost hunters and people familiar with the US Naval Institute often point their finger at Jimmy Sutton. 

As mentioned above, the Institute once served as a poorhouse and a hospital of sorts, designed to provide assistance housing to the mentally ill and the poverty-stricken.

During the Civil War, it also served as a field hospital for wounded soldiers. One of those wounded soldiers was a man named Jimmy Sutton, who tragically took his own life with his service weapon. Or, at least, that was the official story. 

Rumors abounded after his death that he may have actually been murdered, especially because many reported that he was embroiled in a fierce and ugly love triangle with a woman and another soldier. 

The evidence for Sutton is the fact that a ghostly figure spotted by Institute trainees and staff is often wearing a Civil War dress. Nowadays, that kind of uniform stands out of place but it would have been exactly what Sutton would have worn. 

Perhaps, he’s stuck around to haunt the descendants of those who murdered him. Or maybe he just found a certain kind of peace by hanging around the Institute that he never found while he was alive. 

Sutton sightings are so common that the TV show Ghost Hunters sent a team to the Institute to investigate the man. The team heard some strange sounds and watched objects fly off window sills. Most notably, they recorded what sounded like a human voice hoarsely crying, “I didn’t do it.” The team left the Institute rattled.

Haunted Annapolis 

You may also find yourself rattled if you visit the US Naval Institute. If that sounds like your kind of trip,  our Annapolis Ghosts ghost tour may be for you. It offers up a tour of many different Maryland hauntings, and our knowledgeable guides will provide even more spooky details than just what’s in our blogs. 

Be sure to keep reading our blog. Along with our blog, our Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts offer many more hauntings in cities up and down America. From Seattle to Charlotte, there’s no shortage of ways to connect with the ghosts of America with our resources. 

Just be sure to keep an eye out for Jimmy Sutton while you’re out there hunting for ghosts. If he’s not at the Institute, there’s no telling what kind of trouble he could get himself into! 

Sources:

• https://www.usni.org/about-us/history
• https://www.hauntedplaces.org/item/u-s-naval-institute/
• https://www.syfy.com/ghost-hunters/photos/ghost-of-a-marine-season-8-episode-8#24657
• https://www.marylandhauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/us-naval-institute.html