Ironically, the most intriguing person associated St. Anne's is actually buried elsewhere. His name was Joseph Simmons, and he was a sexton of the church for nearly 70 years. He died in 1836 at the unbelievable age of 100.

Very few people knew Mr. Simmons by his given name. Most folks only knew him by his nickname, "Joe Morgue," given to him because of his long-time obsession with grave digging. He was interested in all things death related - it was a hobby he took quite seriously.

Joe was well known to spend much of his time digging around the church grounds, and was rumored to have dug up and reburied several coffins just for fun. (I don't know about you, but that's not my kind of fun.)

Joe was known as an eccentric old man by churchgoers and townspeople alike. And he was not very well liked, due to his grumpy demeanor and odd personality.

For instance, although he was far from poor, Joe was known to spend much of his time wearing old and torn clothing, and always had long, matted and unkempt hair. People said he looked like a dirty Father Time.

When children taunted him, Joe's well-practiced reply was always the same; "I'll have you someday!" And since he lived 100 years, he usually did!

One example of Joe's bizarre behavior is related to the burial of a man named Jeffrey Jig. After Jig was presumed to be quite dead, funeral arrangements were made, Joe prepared a grave, and the coffin was lowered into the ground. While Joe was shovelling dirt onto the coffin, a loud pounding began coming from within the box.

Joe, hearing the noise, chose to ignore it and, to the horror of all those present at the funeral, continued piling in the dirt. Finally, several townspeople pulled Joe from the gravesite, and forced him to stop. Joe was so furious that he began screaming, "He has to die sometime, and if he's not dead now, he ought to be!"

When he finally died 1836, the people of Annapolis thought they had seen the last of Joe Morgue, but this may not be the case. Since that time Joe's ghost has been spotted on many occasions both on Church Circle and in the location where he is actually buried - in the larger cemetery overlooking Spa Creek.

It seems Joe is apparently not a fan of modernization: he has been known to wreak havoc on the streetlights on Church Circle. In fact, the times when we speak about Joe to groups on our walking ghost tours, he'll make his presence known by flickering the streetlights to show his disgust.

But Joe does not limit himself to attacks on the local infrastructure. Parishioners and church staff alike have stated that on several occasions when they have entered the church early in the morning or late at night, they have found an old man sitting quietly in the back pew.

Most assumed him to be homeless, having either broken in, or been accidentally locked inside. When approached, he'll scowl, rise, and exit the church without so much as a word. When they have followed him outside, people have been shocked to discover that he seemed to have simply vanished.

Every time he has been seen, Joe has been seated in the same place: it is the exact same seat that was reserved for the old sexton himself.

So, if you’ve been doing a lot of walking around town, find somewhere else to rest. You might not want to sit and close your eyes near Church Circle, because old Joe might just mistake you for dead and try to bury you before your time...

For more information about the ghosts of Annapolis, please visit http://www.annapolisghosts.com/.

Mike Carter is an expert on Annapolis’ ghosts, the author of the soon to be released book, The Ghosts of Annapolis, and the owner of the Ghosts of Annapolis Tours.